Gaijin
by L.Stormborn
Summary: Our heroine is a recent college graduate from America seeking adventure in Japan, but things get complicated when her luggage gets stolen. Through a strange series of unlucky events she finds herself being sold to the highest bidder at a black market auction in Tokyo, and now she's surrounded by dangerous criminals. (Based on Kissed by the Baddest Bidder by Voltage, Inc.)
1. Prologue

"Gaijin"

Prologue

I've been caged like some kind of exotic pet. Amidst the confusion I'm still trying to piece together exactly how I got here and comprehend what was going to happen next. Well, they told me what was going to happen next, but I found it difficult to process and thought surely my translation must be off: I was going to be sold at an auction to the highest bidder… SOLD?!

I was at the tail end of my vacation in Japan, spending a few days in Tokyo before my flight back home to the U.S. In recent years the ban on casinos in Japan had been lifted, so I was curious to check out the newly famous Tres Spades Hotel and Casino, not that I could afford to stay there or even to gamble. But hey, it's history in progress, so why not?

I arrived outside the hotel that afternoon and thought I'd walk around a bit. The place was huge and definitely the most grand and elegant hotel I'd ever seen. I flipped open a pamphlet I'd picked up earlier and started deciphering the different locations on the map: a shopping mall, restaurants and bars, a theater, an art museum… Wow. And of course the hotel and casino themselves. I grinned and started to grab for my rolling luggage when I realized it wasn't there. _What the hell?!_ I whipped my head back and forth desperately looking for my bag, but it was just gone. _Shit!_

I clamored into the hotel and found the front desk. In my panic I had difficulty translating the situation into Japanese for the hostess, so she left briefly and came back with a smiling man in a suit. "I am Hajime Kenzaki, the general manager. May I help you?" Thankfully, this man spoke clear English.

A wave of relief washed over me. "Yes. I was just standing outside the hotel and my luggage was stolen! Can you please help me?" I begged with my eyes, feeling pathetic.

"Oh my. I'm terribly sorry. Did you see who took it?" Mr. Kenzaki's face displayed genuine concern.

My face fell. "No," I admitted. "I looked up and it was just gone."

"Do you have a reservation with us?" he continued. "If so, we could get you settled into your room in the meantime."

"No…" I replied again, dejected. My throat was suddenly feeling dry.

The manager frowned. "In that case I'm afraid all we can do is take down a description of your luggage and call on you if it shows up. Where are you staying?"

I could feel my face flush. The only type of place I could really afford to stay was a hostel or a cheap capsule hotel, and I hadn't yet found one nearby to stay in tonight.

The manager seemed to read my face and smiled sympathetically. "Are you a student on holiday?" he asked. Looks like he's getting the picture.

"Sort of," I said hesitantly. "I just graduated from college in the U.S. and wanted to celebrate by traveling abroad. I'm afraid I'm on a rather strict budget."

He smiled and reached for a pen and paper. "I'll do what I can to help you. Please give me your name, contact information, and a detailed description of your luggage."

"My name is Jesia Wolf. My luggage has wheels, is about this tall-" I gestured, "and it's pink with some stickers on it. There's also a combination lock and a luggage tag with my name and information on it. I can be reached at this number…" I finished giving the manager all the details he needed, and then added, "Oh! And my flight home is the day after tomorrow at the Tokyo-Narita International Airport."

"I see," Mr. Kenzaki's smile faltered slightly but then quickly recovered.

I frowned. "I know that isn't much time, but I really appreciate your help."

"If any of our staff finds your luggage, we will contact you right away," he assured me. "In the meantime, please enjoy looking around Tres Spades. We have much more to offer than the hotel and casino."

I smiled meekly and bowed my head. "Thank you very much, Mr. Kenzaki." He did the same before heading back the way he had come.

As I started to walk away from the front desk, I noticed a handsome young man in a dark suit walking across the lobby; he was flanked by several beautiful women in formal wear. Without even thinking, I stood and stared at the odd spectacle. _He must be famous or something_, I thought. Suddenly the young man's gaze found mine, startling me back to reality. He didn't look friendly, with his brow slightly furrowed and his mouth forming a thin line. Even his eyes looked cold. I shivered involuntarily and started walking in the opposite direction.

My stomach rumbled. That's when I realized I hadn't eaten lunch yet. _Wasn't there a convenience store nearby?_ I left the hotel and started walking down the street. I had planned on eating at the hotel, but since my luggage was stolen I'll have to be extra careful with what little cash I have left. I walked inside the nearest convenience store and was immediately greeted by the cool AC. As I looked around, trying to decide what to buy, I realized I was being watched. The clerk behind the counter was a tall, skinny man with feathery brown hair that framed his face. He winked at me. Bewildered, I looked around to see who else he could be staring at, but there was no one. I turned away and continued shopping, trying my best to ignore the clerk.

After deciding on a sandwich, chips, and a drink, I arrived at the counter, where the clerk had obviously been reading a magazine. _Huh… Isn't that Western astrology he's looking at?_ I recognized some of the Zodiac symbols. He winked at me again as he rang up my purchase. "For the pretty lady," he said in Japanese, handing me a small white rose with the stem cut short.

"Um, thank you very much," I replied as I tentatively accepted the rose.

He grinned as I spoke in his native tongue. "Clever too!" Suddenly he grabbed my hand, turned it over, and began studying my palm.

"Wh-What are you doing?" I try to pull my hand away but his grip is too firm.

"We'll be seeing each other again, I'm sure." He turned my hand over again and softly kissed the back before letting go, his eyes on mine. I stared, wide-eyed, grabbed my things, and quickly left the store.

_What the hell was up with that?_ Dazed and lost in thought, I somehow found myself back at Tres Spades.

Even after filling my stomach I was still feeling pretty bummed. I checked my phone for any text messages or missed calls, but there weren't any. I gave a little disappointed sigh, then remembered that I had come to Tres Spades to look around. _There's no point in just sitting here moping. May as well try to enjoy myself a little, right? After all, I'll be going home soon with or without my stolen luggage._

First I decided to check out the shopping mall, but everything seemed crazy busy. _Is it normally like this?_ The boutiques appear to be full to bursting, so I ultimately decided not to bother with venturing inside any of them. Besides, all of the merchandise in the windows looked ridiculously expensive. Even the salon had a long line of glamorous women waiting to get makeovers.

In the end I decided to hop on the elevator to the thirtieth floor to investigate the casino. _I wonder if it's anything like the casinos back home._ I'd only been a couple of times, but I remember thinking that they seemed like amusement parks for adults. The doors open and I step out onto the lively casino floor. _This place is crowded too. Is something special going on?_ I could hardly take two steps without almost bumping into someone. A few of the guests gave me strange looks, but for the most part I was ignored. Being a foreigner, I didn't think too much of it.

I looked over some of the nearby tables and machines, which were indeed very similar to the ones I'd seen in America. Some of the machines had wacky themes with cute characters, which made me smile. _Oh, Japan, this is what I love about you,_ I thought.

Suddenly another guest bumped into me with a surprising amount of force. "Ahh!" I lost my footing and started to topple over; I automatically braced myself for impact but it never came. "Huh?" That's when I realized a tall man in a grey suit with slicked back hair had grabbed hold of my arm.

"Watch where you're going," he said as he held my arm firmly, allowing me to regain my footing.

"Um, s-sorry, sir. Please excuse me," I said as I looked him right in the eyes. _He's kind of scary looking!_ "Thank you for not letting me fall."

"Tch." The man seemed annoyed. "Get out of here before you get yourself in trouble." He pretty much threw my arm back at me before walking away.

_Maybe I should leave. It is really crowded, and I don't intend to gamble anyway._ I took the man's advice and wove through the other guests to make my way back to the elevator.

I stepped back out into the lobby and checked my phone again, but there was nothing. _It's getting a little late. Maybe I should try to find a place to stay tonight._ I pull out my Tokyo guidebook from my purse and start flipping through the pages to find a cheap place to crash.

"Looking for something?" I looked up and saw a short, stocky man wearing a gaudy suit and glittering gold jewelry; he had a big grin on his face.

_He's creepy._ At first I pretend not to understand him and shrug, going back to my guidebook.

"Aww, don't be like that, cutie pie. Come with me. I'll show you a good time and give you a nice place to stay tonight."

My eyes widen as he takes me by the arm and starts forcefully leading me away to an elevator. "N-No! Let go of me!"

He blocks my escape by wrapping an arm tightly around me. He smells like sweaty socks and I almost gag on the odor as the elevator door shuts. _Huh? This is the elevator to the basement. Not good!_

The greasy man leers at me, still grinning when the elevator comes to a stop. The doors open to reveal a lavish party with lots of people. _I have got to get away from this guy!_

"Let go of me!" I say again, trying to pull away from the man's sweaty body.

He frowns. "Don't make such a fuss or I'll have to—"

"You'll have to what?" interjected a sweet voice.

We both turn to see a young man with sandy-colored hair wearing a striped jacket. "A-Ah, Mr. Kisaki!" said the greasy man, clearly startled.

The man called Kisaki turned to me with a serious look on his fine face. "Is this guy bothering you?" he asked. I nodded vigorously, rendered speechless by how gorgeous he was. Mr. Kisaki turned to the man and said in a strangely sweet tone, "Don't make me throw you out. Leave the lady alone."

The sweaty man finally let me go. "So sorry, Mr. Kisaki. Excuse me," he said as he cowardly slinked away into the party.

Mr. Kisaki turned back to me and smiled. "Looks like Alice has fallen through the Rabbit Hole. Do you think you can get back okay?"

"What? Oh, I think so. Thank you so much for helping me!" I gave a little bow to show my appreciation.

"Heh." Mr. Kisaki continued to smile and looked me up and down as if sizing me up, running his fingers through his hair. "Be careful now, Alice." And with that, he disappeared into the party.

_What is all this? What are all these people here for?_

Curiosity got the better of me as I started walking around the perimeter of the ballroom. Everyone was dressed in formal wear, some of them holding masquerade masks or glasses of champagne. It was all so elegant looking, like nothing I'd ever seen before except on TV. _These people must all be rich and famous. I should probably leave._ Just as I started to turn to leave, I spotted something familiar: my luggage.

My luggage?!

I'm sure of it. The guys dressed in black over there have my luggage on a cart with a stack of other stuff, and they're about to disappear through that door!

I sprinted and pushed past the guy manning the door, who had been distracted talking to a guest. "Hey, stop that girl!" he shouted. The two men with the cart stopped and turned to look at me.

"H-Hey, that's my stuff!" I yelled, pointing at my luggage on the cart. "Please, I need it back!"

The two men looked at each other and then started to laugh loudly. "Get out of here, little girl, before you get hurt."

That pissed me off. On top of stealing my luggage and not wanting to give it back, they were making fun of me. _"Little girl," huh? I'll "little girl" ya!_ I charged at the cart, intending to grab for my luggage and then make a run for it. Unfortunately, the cart swerved at just the wrong second and I missed, accidentally tripping into it. "Ahhh!" I yelled and crashed into a heap on the floor, surrounded by items that had once been stacked neatly on the cart. A small bag fell over and a handgun slipped out onto the floor. Suddenly it occurred to me that I was in a potentially dangerous situation, so I tried to stand up to run.

"Oh no you don't!" One of the men hoisted me up roughly by the shoulders and held my arms together tightly behind my back.

I cried out, "OW! Let go!"

"Shit, she broke it! She broke the Statue of Venus!" the other man yelled.

_The what?_

"You're going to have to pay for that, kid. That was supposed to be the highlight of tonight's auction," the man continued, pointing to the shattered remains of a statue on the floor.

"Pay? But—"

The man grabbing hold of me snorted. "As if she can. We're totally screwed!"

The other man paused to look at me, and then smirked. "Not totally…" He steps toward me and grabs my chin, forcing me to look up at him. He studied my face for a moment before saying, "Bring her this way." A shiver goes through me, and the two men start to lead me away from the scene and into a nearby room. Inside is a cornucopia of seemingly random stuff, including a large cage. The man holding onto me holds me still while the other man grabs my purse and checks my pockets; he takes my cell phone. Then I'm pushed into the cage and the door swings shut with a loud clack. The man who had been holding me locked the door while the second man rifled through my purse.  
"Stop, stop! Let me out!" I scream at them in a mixture of Japanese and English, but my protests fall on deaf ears.

The man finds my passport and flips it open. "American… Twenty-two years old. That'll do." His grin was eerie.

_What is he talking about?_

The two men turn away from me and speak to each other in hushed tones. "Right, it's decided then. We'll auction off the girl instead."

"What?!"

"Shut up. It's the only way you can pay us back for the merchandise you broke. And if you know what's good for you, you'll keep quiet." The man showed me a gun hidden in his jacket. And with that, the two men turned off the light and left the room, closing the door behind them. I sat there in the dark, trembling and begging to wake from this bizarre nightmare. I wanted to yell for help, but the image of the gun in the man's jacket was seared into my mind and I knew I couldn't risk it.

I don't know how much time passed before the door creaked open and the light flickered back on. The two men from before enter the room with a rolling cart. "Please, don't," I said. "I won't tell anyone, won't go to the police. Just please, let me go." They hoist my cage up onto the cart and throw a black cloth over it, making it dark again.

"You should've run when we gave you the chance," one of the men said, and I felt them start pushing the cart toward the door.

I get rolled along for a while; I hear some hushed voices here and there but can't make out what they're saying. Some of them actually sound like languages other than English or Japanese. Moments later a booming voice announces, "For the first time ever, a special treat for you, ladies and gentlemen!" The cage comes to a stop and the cloth is whipped away; a spotlight blinds me momentarily as I try to adjust to the light. "Our last item up for bids is an American woman, twenty-two years old, and yes, she speaks Japanese in addition to English!"

_This cannot be happening. This is just insane._ There's a sea of people in masks in front of me. I want desperately to scream at them for help, but my voice fails me. My chest tightens and I feel like I might suffocate and die on the spot. I feel utterly helpless. If I weren't kneeling, I'm sure my knees would be shaking.

"Keep her as your pet, your slave, a toy, whatever you want, ladies and gentlemen! Let's start the bidding!"

The auctioneer starts rolling number after number off his tongue so fast that I can't keep up in translating. _Did I hear the word for "million"?_

"To number five there in the front row! Going once, going twice…"

Despite the mask I can tell that the man bidding on me is the same creep who brought me down to the basement in the first place. I hang my head, shut my eyes, and clasp my hands together as if in prayer.

"Whoa, hold up, folks! The winning bid by a landslide goes to bidder number 100 in the balcony for two billion yen!"

My eyes snap open. _Did he say billion?!_ Suddenly I'm being wheeled off the stage.

"Winning bidders, please come forward to collect your prizes. Thanks for being with us tonight!"

A little ways off the stage my cage is hauled up off the cart and onto the floor. I stand up, tentatively anticipating being let out. A few minutes later two men come into view: one is wearing a black fedora and a red jacket, and the other is wearing a striped jacket and has sandy-colored hair. Somehow they both seem a little familiar to me, but I can't put my finger on it because they're both wearing masks.

The door swings open, and the man in the hat holds out his hand to me. "Come with us, pretty lady," he says. I instinctively shrink away from him.

"Aww, she's scared," said the man in the striped jacket. Without another moment's hesitation he deftly linked his arm in mine and started to walk me out of the cage. The man in the hat smiled as he got on my other side and slid an arm around my waist. I shiver at their touch.

They lead me back to an elevator and push the button. Even in the elevator they never removed their hands from me. Finally I swallow my fear and ask quietly, "Where are we going?"

The two men exchange glances and say nothing. We reach the lobby floor and I'm certain they're about to take me out of the hotel never to be seen or heard from again. Instead, they usher me up a grand staircase and into another elevator, where they use a keycard to activate it. _Is this the elevator to the penthouse?_ Sure enough, the elevator starts its climb to the fifty-first floor.

The elevator is surprisingly quick; so much so that it makes my stomach turn a little. Or maybe it's nerves? We debark and the two men escort me down the hall into a luxurious lounge area, where there are two more men sitting on a sofa. It isn't until we draw closer that I recognize that I've seen the two men before, and my mouth drops open. _No way!_

"Took you long enough," said a young man in a dark suit, seemingly bored. The man in the grey suit with the slicked back hair next to him said nothing.

_That's the guy I saw with all those women in the lobby. And I bumped into the other guy at the casino!_

"Sorry, Boss," said the man in the hat, his arm still wrapped around my waist. I looked up as he removed his mask with his free hand and had to stifle a scream.

"Yeah, you know how crowded it gets," said the man with the sandy-colored hair as he also removed his mask.

_These two?! The guy from the convenience store and the one who saved me from the creep on the elevator!_ If it hadn't been for the two guys holding on to me I would've already hit the floor. _I've already seen all four of these men before!_

"What the hell is going on?!" I cry out before I can stop myself.

The man in the dark suit on the couch smirked. "We bought you. Or weren't you paying attention?"

The man in the grey suit next to him grumbled, "This is a waste of time." He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Aww, come on, Sor, it'll be fun!" said the man next to me in the striped jacket. He genuinely appeared pleased as he looked me up and down. "She's so cute!"

"You'll be bored with her by tomorrow," the man in the grey suit retorted.

"Hey, don't be like that in front of our special guest," said the man in the fedora as he tightened his grip around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. Startled, I jumped a little.

"Baba, you're scaring her," the man in the dark suit said with an unpleasant look on his face. "We haven't even decided who gets to keep her yet, so watch where you put your hands."

"Ooh, you've got your eye on her too, Eisuke? Your groupies will be so jealous!" the man in the striped jacket teased. "I think I should get first dibs on her, though," he continued. "After all, I saw her when she first entered the IVC tonight."

The man in the grey suit looked a little taken aback. "Actually, I ran into her before that at the casino."

"At the casino, huh?" said the man in the fedora. "She came into the convenience store while I was working this afternoon."

"I saw her in the hotel lobby talking to Kenzaki," said the young man in the dark suit.

All four men looked at me, but I had no idea what to say. "Uhh… So, who exactly are you guys? I mean, I ended up at the auction by mistake and—"

"Oh, of course, how rude of us," the man in the fedora cut me off midsentence, but his face actually looked kind. Almost sympathetic? He cleared his throat before taking my hand and kneeling in front of me, removing his hat with his free hand. "My name is Mitsunari Baba. I'm thirty-five, single, and ready to mingle!" He had a big smile on his face and winked before standing up again, still holding my hand. "What's your name, pretty lady?"

I blinked. _What's with this guy?_ "My name is Jesia… Jesia Wolf."

"What a cute name! It's nice to meet you, Jesia." Mr. Baba kissed the back of my hand just as he had done earlier at the convenience store.

"Stop showing off, Baba. It's my turn." The man in the striped jacket grabbed my arm again and turned me toward him. "I'm Ota Kisaki. You can call me Ota. Everyone else does." He grinned. "Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"Uhh, no. Should I have?"

"Ouch," the man in the dark suit on the couch snickered.

Ota looked a little hurt, but then smiled. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. My work hasn't become popular in the West yet. I'm an artist." Ota looked expectantly at the men on the couch. "Well, you two? Don't be rude."

"Fine," the man in the grey suit with slicked back hair said. "Soryu Oh."

"He's in the Hong Kong mafia!" Mr. Baba added cheerfully.

My eyes went wide. _M-Mafia? No wonder I thought he looked scary!_ I struggled to compose myself. "Eh, er, nice to meet you," I squeaked, forcing myself to look him in the face, but it was expressionless. _I am so going to die here._

There was a pause as everyone's attention turned expectantly to the young man in the dark suit, who was sitting with his legs crossed on the couch. He said nothing.

"That snobby guy next to Soryu is Eisuke Ichinomiya," Ota explained. "He owns this hotel and runs the auction you were sold at."

I gaped a little at this information. With so many questions running through my brain, I wasn't sure what to say first. Plus, this guy was actually pretty gorgeous if you could get past the sour look on his face. "M-Mr. Ichinomiya, please, I was at the auction by mistake and I'm supposed to be on a plane home in a couple of days—"

Mr. Ichinomiya started to laugh. "Home? Don't you get it?" He stood up and walked over to me, and the two men on either side of me backed off slightly. He grabbed my chin and tilted my face up towards his. His eyes were cold, any amusement from a moment ago gone. "We bought you. You're not going home. You're staying here and you're going to pay back the two billion yen we spent on you."

"T-Two billion… But—"

"First rule: don't talk back."

I immediately swallowed my words.

"That's better." He let go of my face and stepped back to study me. "Now to decide who gets you."

"Human trafficking is illegal," I start to say.

"Oh? Would you like to report us to Detective Kishi over there?" Eisuke laughed and motioned to a man smoking a cigarette over by the window that I hadn't noticed before.

"Way to blow my cover, Eisuke," Detective Kishi said lazily.

_No way, he's a cop?! How can he just stand there and let this happen?_ At this point I'm not only feeling defeated, but also thoroughly exhausted.

"Tch, he's only a detective in title. I don't think I've ever actually seen him work," Mr. Oh scoffed, smirking.

"Hey!" Detective Kishi was obviously offended by this.

"Now, now, guys, don't fight," Ota said. "We've got more important things to do."

"Yeah, like deciding who gets our adorable Jesia here!" Mr. Baba agreed.

"But how are we supposed to decide? I know I'm interested," said Ota, running his fingers through his hair.

There was a pause, then Mr. Ichinomiya chuckled heartily. "Heh, I've got it. We'll let her decide."

All five men stared at me expectantly. "What?" I said, thinking I didn't hear correctly.

"We'll let you decide who buys you," Mr. Ichinomiya repeated.

I'm dumbstruck by this idea. "But, I don't want to be sold to anyone!" I protested.

Mr. Ichinomiya glared at me coldly. "Decide now or it'll be decided for you. Or maybe you'd rather be put back up for auction?"

_Hell no, I can't let that happen again,_ I thought desperately. I feel a strange tightening sensation in my chest as I try to think of a way out of this. _Oh!_ "But how am I supposed to decide among five strangers?" I countered.

Mr. Ichinomiya was clearly getting more annoyed by the second and was about to say something when Mr. Baba interjected, "The lady may have a point, Boss. Maybe we should each spend some time with her and let her decide later." Mr. Baba winked at me.

_I'm confused. Is he trying to help me or hit on me?_ I try to read his face and don't even realize what's happening until it's too late.

"Fine, I'll go first," said Mr. Ichinomiya, and suddenly I was lifted up and slung over his shoulder.

"HEY!" I screamed. "What the hell? Put me down!"

"Shut up. I told you not to talk back." Mr. Ichinomiya started heading for a nearby staircase with me in tow.

"Hold on, shouldn't we have ground rules here?" Ota protested. "I mean, I don't really want anyone's sloppy seconds."

"Then how about no one touches her until it's decided who keeps her," Mr. Oh suggested. "And that goes double for you, Baba."

"Aww," Mr. Baba pouted in an exaggerated way.

"She's just a kid. Why would you wanna touch her anyway?" said Detective Kishi to no one in particular.

"Fine," Mr. Ichinomiya said, waving a hand over his shoulder as he started up the stairs.

_This can't be happening!_


	2. Episode 1: Eisuke Ichinomiya

"Gaijin"

Episode 1: Eisuke Ichinomiya

The fifty-second floor was the most grand yet, but I hardly had the opportunity to admire it as Mr. Ichinomiya hauled me off to a bedroom and threw me down on the bed. "Oof! Hey, watch it!"

Before I had the opportunity to sit up, Mr. Ichinomiya grabbed me by the collar and pulled me upright. My eyes went wide as he put his face so close to mine that I could feel his hot breath on my skin. "This is the last time I'll tell you: don't talk back to me, and maybe you'll get out of this in one piece. Understand?" he said in a low voice, still clutching my collar.

I trembled slightly and nodded, afraid to speak again. I was entranced by his intense stare and couldn't take my eyes off his.

He smirked, seemingly satisfied, but didn't pull away or let me go. "Second rule: the only two words you're allowed to say to me without permission are 'yes' and 'okay.'" He glared expectantly.

"O-Okay."

Then he used his free hand to grab my chin like before. "Lastly, if you tell anyone about the auction, you're as good as dead," he warned. "Got it?"

"Yes," I replied quietly. I could feel myself start to sweat.

He finally released me and appeared to study me for a moment. "You'd better be good and hope that we find a use for you," he said, his demeanor now serious rather than scary. "If you're bad or prove to be worthless, we'll put you back up for auction. Maybe we'll let that nasty old geezer buy you this time." A wicked smirk played on his lips.

I swallowed. _He's enjoying this, isn't he? What a scary thought!_

"Now go take a shower. You smell." Mr. Ichinomiya nodded toward an adjacent bathroom.

As much as I didn't want him to think I was talking back, I needed to say something to let him know my situation. I tried to explain, "I-I don't have any extra clothes or anything. All of my things were stolen—"

"Let's get another thing straight: when I tell you to do something, you have exactly five seconds before I lose my patience," he said darkly. There was a pause as I searched his eyes, unsure of what to do at just that second. "Get cleaned up, _now._ Five, four, three…"

I jumped off the bed and scampered into the adjoining bathroom, locking the door behind me. I leaned against the door and took a couple of deep breaths. _What's with that guy? He doesn't have to be such an ass,_ I thought. Just then I looked up and was immediately stunned by the size and elegance of the bathroom. _It would be nice to get cleaned up… Maybe there's a robe I can use._ I start carefully searching the cabinets and closet and find everything I need, including a simple yukata; I'm careful not to put anything else out of place, because he seems like the type who would notice.

I take my time scrubbing every inch of myself in the hot shower. After all, I've been handled by a bunch of strangers today. I grimace as I remember the sweaty creep who brought me down to the basement and then the guys who sold me. I sigh. _Why did all this have to happen?_ I finished my shower, dried off, and carefully wrapped myself in the yukata, tying it tight so that it wouldn't fall open. I straightened up the bathroom a bit before tentatively opening the door and peeking out into the bedroom.

But Mr. Ichinomiya was no longer there, which was actually kind of a relief. I wonder, _Am I supposed to sleep here?_ I laid out my clothes on a chair and then plopped down on the big, fluffy bed. It wasn't until that moment that I realized how exhausted I was. Just as I closed my eyes, however, I heard the ominous click of the bedroom door being opened. My heart starts pounding. _Now what? Just pretend to be asleep, just pretend to be asleep…_

"Jesia, you're in bed already?" It was Ota's voice. My eyes snapped open to find his and Mr. Baba's faces peering over me. "You look even cuter in a yukata!" Ota declared, smiling.

"Mind if I join you?" Mr. Baba teased.

I glared up at him. "No thanks. I think I've been manhandled enough to last me the rest of the year." _Why can't they leave me alone?_ I grab a pillow from next to me and hold it over my face.

"Soo… Wanna make plans for New Year's?" Ota laughed.

"Hey now, Ota, we have to wait and see who she picks first, right?" Mr. Baba reminded him.

"I suppose," Ota replied. "In the meantime, we want to show you around the penthouse." He pulled the pillow from my face, looking way too cheerful.

"Can't it wait?" I groaned. "I'm not even properly dressed. My luggage got stolen today and that's pretty much what got me into this mess."

"Stolen, huh?" Mr. Baba looked thoughtful all of a sudden. "What happened?"

They're obviously not going to leave me alone anytime soon, so I sigh and sit up in the bed, careful to keep my yukata closed. I explained the whole story, from the time I arrived at Tres Spades to the moment they picked me up at the auction. When I get to the part where I tried to steal my luggage back, Ota burst out laughing. "I don't know whether to call you brave or stupid! Hahaha!"

I expected Mr. Baba to join in, but instead he had a gentle smile on his face and didn't say anything until I was done with my story. "Sounds like quite a string of bad luck," he said. Mr. Baba reached out a hand toward me and I instinctively leaned away from him.

Just then, Mr. Ichinomiya appeared in the doorway, looking unpleasant as ever. "Who told you guys you could come in here?" He crossed his arms in front of him. "You'll get your turn. Out."

Mr. Baba whispered to me, "Boss gets jealous easily." He winked at me and then turned towards the door with Ota.

"Good night, sweet Jesia," Ota cooed. "Remember the deal, Eisuke. Don't have too much fun!" And the two of them left me alone with Mr. Ichinomiya.

_He's not gonna do anything to me, right? I mean, from what I saw earlier he could have any woman he wants._ Somehow this logic did little to calm my nerves, and I could feel my heart start pounding overtime.

He made sure the other two men were gone before speaking. "You'll sleep here tonight. Don't come into my bedroom or office, and don't even think about trying to escape." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Now go to sleep. We have errands to run in the morning**."**

_Errands?_ I started to ask but then remembered I'm only supposed to agree with him. "Okay," I replied.

"Be ready by eight o'clock," he continued, then turned for the door. "And don't make me wait." The door clicked shut behind him.

I let out a huge sigh, flipped the light switch next to the bed, and buried myself under the covers, thankful to at least be left alone to rest for a while. I grabbed the extra pillow from before and hugged it close. Before I knew it, I was out.

I wasn't sure what it was, but something jolted me awake around 7:30 the next morning. _Was it the door? No, it's still closed._ I looked around the luxurious suite and slowly recalled my situation. _So it wasn't a dream…_ Suddenly I felt like crying. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath, willing the tears away. When I opened my eyes again I noticed there was something next to the chair that hadn't been there the night before. I flipped on the lights and climbed out of bed to investigate.

_My luggage… What?! How did that get here?_ I frantically kneeled on the floor and undid the combination lock. _Oh my god… It's all here. My clothes, toiletries, souvenirs, all of it. But doesn't this mean someone came in here while I was sleeping?_ I pushed that thought out of my mind; after losing everything yesterday, having my luggage back felt like a small victory. _Now if I could just get my purse and freedom back too... I could go home, right?_

Suddenly I realized the time. _Crap, I have to be ready in like twenty minutes!_ I found a clean, albeit wrinkled, outfit and quickly changed, feeling extra thankful for clean underwear. Then I grabbed a couple of my toiletry bags and sprinted to the bathroom. I hurriedly cleaned myself up and applied some light makeup with only a couple of minutes left to spare. I threw all of my stuff back into my luggage and locked it, then rushed over to the door. But then I hesitated, suddenly afraid of what awaited me on the other side. _He'll get pissed if I'm late,_ I thought._ I just have to do it!_ I closed my eyes as I reached for the doorknob and uttered a phrase that always gave me courage: "I am the wolf, and I will not be afraid." I turned the doorknob and meekly walked out into what I had guessed the night before was the living room.

Mr. Ichinomiya was sitting on the sofa with his laptop, drinking coffee; he didn't even look up to acknowledge my presence. "You're late," he said flatly.

"Huh?" I looked at my watch, which said exactly eight o'clock. I wanted to argue but thought better of it. Instead I gritted my teeth to help hold my tongue.

"According to my watch it's 8:01," Mr. Ichinomiya continued, still not looking up at me. "You have less than nine minutes to go into the kitchen and eat something before we leave." He nodded in the general direction of the kitchen.

"Okay." I didn't realize before but I haven't eaten anything since the lunch from the convenience store yesterday. _I wonder if I'm allowed to say, "thank you." Maybe if I'm nice to him he'll soften up a bit._ I bowed my head a little and said, "Thank you, Mr. Ichinomiya."

He looked at his watch and said, "Eight minutes."

I walked across the living room to the kitchen and found what looked like an untouched room service breakfast. I only managed a few bites before my nerves started wrecking havoc on my stomach, forcing me to stop. _What's going to happen to me today? If only I had my passport and plane ticket—not to mention an escape route—I could be on a plane home tomorrow._ I sighed heavily, feeling dejected again, then decided I'd better return to the living room before Mr. Ichinomiya could get mad at me for being "late" again.

This time when I entered the room he looked up at me. "That's the best you've got? Shorts and a wrinkled blouse?" he scoffed.

_He's lucky I'm not wearing the clothes I had on yesterday…_ That reminded me. "Mr. Ichinomiya, were you the one who—"

"Shush. We need to get going," he said, interrupting me midsentence. He stood up and looked me over. "We've got a lot of work to do."

"Okay," I agreed quietly, not having a clue what he meant. I followed him downstairs to the lounge.

Detective Kishi was there smoking a cigarette and reading the newspaper. _Is it okay for me to greet him? I don't want to be rude,_ I thought. "Ah, good morning, Mr. Kishi," I said tentatively as I walked by.

"Huh?" Detective Kishi looked up briefly from his paper. "Oh, it's just you," he said, then went back to his paper.

_Maybe I should pick him. He seems utterly disinterested in me. Maybe he'd let me go?_ As I ponder this possibility there's a sudden jerk on my arm. "Ah, hey!"

"You're with me right now," Mr. Ichinomiya muttered darkly, entrancing me with his cold stare.

"Yes, s-sorry," I replied. _Wait, what am I sorry for? Somehow this guy already has me under his thumb. I may have lost my freedom, but I don't want to lose my identity, too,_ I thought.

I followed Mr. Ichinomiya to the elevator. He didn't say a word to me the whole way down. I was surprised when we debarked on the fourth floor at the shopping mall I had briefly visited the day before. _Why are we here? It's too early for any of the shops to be open, right?_

Apparently I was wrong. We entered a fine European clothing store and the staff were all too eager to help us. "Welcome!" A man and two women greeted and bowed.

"What can we do for you today, Mr. Ichinomiya?" asked the man.

"This woman needs a dress and shoes," Mr. Ichinomiya replied.

My eyes widened. "Who, me?" I blurted out.

Mr. Ichinomiya looked at me with that wicked smile. "I know she's not much to work with," he continued, "but I need her to look presentable."

"Of course!" the man replied, flashing a dazzling smile. "These two ladies are a couple of my best staff. I'm sure we'll be able to find something to satisfy you, Mr. Ichinomiya."

Within the next minute I'm ushered over to a dressing room by one of the female staff and she starts taking my measurements. Meanwhile the other woman disappeared with Mr. Ichinomiya into the store. Feeling a little awkward, I tried to make conversation with the clothing store worker. "Um, hello. I'm Jesia from America," I said. "What's your name?"

The woman looked a little startled. "You speak Japanese." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. May I ask your name?" I smiled, hoping to convince her I was friendly.

"It would be best if we didn't speak. Mr. Ichinomiya is… particular," she whispered. "Wait here, please."

I was a little disappointed. _Well, I guess it would be intimidating to wait on Mr. Ichinomiya. He does own the hotel, so he's essentially everyone's boss here,_ I thought.

A couple of minutes later the woman returned with a strapless bra and matching panties as well as a plastic laundry bag. "These should fit you. Go ahead and put them on. You can put your old clothes in this bag."

"Seriously? Is that necessary?" I asked incredulously, but she'd already started walking away again. _This is awkward…_ I thought as I changed into the new underwear and put my clothes back on over them. I emerged from the dressing room to wait.

A few minutes later the two women return with several dresses in tow, along with Mr. Ichinomiya. "Try these on and show me," he said simply. He sits down in a luxurious chair as the two women corral me into the dressing room.

_Wow, all of these dresses are gorgeous!_ I'm curious to know how much they cost but I don't see any price tags. _They must be ridiculously expensive designer dresses._ The woman who took my measurements before followed me into the dressing room and helped me into a mid-length, crimson halter top dress. It was silky and felt nice against my skin, but with the plunging neckline it certainly wasn't something I would have picked for myself. I wanted to take it off, but before I could protest the woman opened the dressing room door and ushered me out.

Mr. Ichinomiya is staring at me, his expression unchanged. _This is so weird. My heart is racing. What does he want me to do?_

"Turn around," he instructed. I did as I was told, slightly relieved to not have to look at him for a moment. There was a brief pause, and then I heard him leave his chair and start walking towards me. I let out a little gasp as I felt his fingers brushing my long hair away from my right shoulder. "What. Is. That?" he demanded.

I immediately froze up, and it occurred to me. _Crap, he's probably talking about my tattoo!_ "Um… my lucky number." I swallowed, trembling slightly as I felt his cold fingertips on my shoulder blade where a small Roman numeral seven was emblazoned forever on my pale skin in black ink.

"I suppose it's permanent," said Mr. Ichinomiya, but I couldn't tell from his tone whether or not he was angry.

I felt a knot tighten in my chest as I replied, "Yes."

There was another pause. "…Then there's nothing to be done for it," he said finally. Suddenly I felt him lean his face next to mine over my shoulder, his breath on my ear. "For today, anyway." He backed off. "Go try on another. This one makes you look trashy."

"Okay," I said calmly, and I walked back into the dressing room without looking back at him. The clothing store worker closed the door behind me and immediately started helping me out of the dress. I took a couple of deep breaths while she took the next dress off the hanger. She gave me an encouraging smile as she unzipped it and beckoned me to put it on. It was a royal blue strapless party dress; the skirt was pretty plain, but the bust was encrusted with glittering rhinestones in an intricate design. She zipped me up and opened the door again, but I stepped out on my own this time.

"Turn," he said. I did as I was told. "Turn again and look at me." I turned back towards him and lifted my gaze to meet his. "No, it doesn't go with your eyes. Next."

The same thing happened with each subsequent dress. I lost count at eleven, and I grew numb to his remarks. "Makes you look fat," he'd say, or "not sexy enough."

It felt like we'd been at the store for hours, and I was getting tired. _Is he just messing with me? Why do I need to get dressed up anyway?_

Finally when I stepped out of the dressing room in a long, silky, golden-champagne gown, Mr. Ichinomiya's expression changed ever so slightly. His lips curled into that wicked little smile. "Not too bad. Turn around." I was kind of surprised and did as he asked. "It'll do," he concluded.

I let out a little sigh of relief and let my shoulders relax; I hadn't realized how tense I was. _Thank god, we're finally done._ It really was a lovely dress. The fabric was gathered at the bust with a glittering brooch at the cleavage, and the long skirt flowed smoothly as I walked. I turned to look at myself in the mirror and saw that the wide straps happened to cover my tattoo.

Then I heard Mr. Ichinomiya say from behind me, "Now for the shoes."

I mentally groaned. _Is he going to be just as picky about those? We'll be here all day._

"Ah, Mr. Ichinomiya, sir," the woman who had helped me in the dressing room piped up. "I believe I know just the shoes to go with this dress, if you don't mind." He didn't respond, but she walked away and back again with a box, her own heels clacking on the floor as she went. She opened the box to reveal a pair of golden-champagne high-heeled shoes with decoration that complimented the brooch on the dress.

Mr. Ichinomiya studied the shoes for a moment. "Yes, that's fine," he said simply and turned to walk away.

No sooner had I mouthed the words "thank you" to the clothing store worker, Mr. Ichinomiya said, "Put those on. We're going to the next store."

I wanted to say, "What, we're not done?" but caught myself. I sat in the chair Mr. Ichinomiya had been in while I was trying on dresses and strapped on the shoes the woman had picked. I stood and she smiled at me, mouthing the words "good luck." I gave a weak smile and nodded in return, then went to catch up with Mr. Ichinomiya at the front of the store.

I followed him to a jewelry store and couldn't help but notice that we were the only customers. _Come to think of it, no one ever came into the clothing store while we were there, either._

"Ah, Mr. Ichinomiya, I've been expecting you!" said the jeweler cheerfully, bowing. "How may I be of service to you today?"

"Show me your finest diamond jewelry," he responded flatly, as if it were nothing.

I'm sure I had a look of shock on my face, because the jeweler grinned, seeming to hold back a chuckle. "Of course, sir. This way."

We were led to a table in the back of the store where we sat down and waited for the jeweler to bring back some pieces for us to look at. While he was gone, Mr. Ichinomiya suddenly turned to me and said, with his brow furrowed, "First we need to get rid of this cheap stuff you're wearing. Go on, take it off." Reluctantly I removed my watch, ring, and earrings and set them aside on the table. The jeweler returned with a dazzling display of shining metals and jewels and set them in front of us.

I was completely mesmerized by the way it all sparkled, having never seen such amazing and expensive jewelry up close before. Suddenly Mr. Ichinomiya said, "Show me an emerald ring." The jeweler immediately went back to a case and brought over a platinum ring set with a large emerald surrounded by smaller glittering diamonds.

I had just enough sense of mind to keep my jaw from dropping as Mr. Ichinomiya took my right hand and slipped the ring onto my ring finger. I was utterly dumbstruck. He gripped my hand lightly for a moment, admiring the ring, then looked up at my face and smirked.

"Um," I stammered. _Why is he looking at me like that?_

"Just as I thought," he murmured.

"I-I'm sorry, what?"

He looked back at the ring and then straight into my eyes, and I could swear his expression softened slightly, just for a split second. "It matches your green eyes," he said quietly, then let go of my hand and turned back to the jeweler. "Show me some platinum bracelets."

_What? Did he just compliment me? No way. I'm so confused._ I continued to stare at the ring on my finger.

Mr. Ichinomiya chuckled. "The worse something looks the more fun it is to dress it up."

Suddenly the positive vibes dissipated as quickly as they'd come. _Dick... Unless the other guys are somehow worse, there's no way I'm picking him. He's definitely just toying with me._

Next Mr. Ichinomiya picked a pair of wide platinum bangles; I couldn't help but think of them as shackles as he snapped them onto my wrists. The necklace he chose was short, sitting just above my collarbone, and it too was platinum and carried numerous teardrop-shaped diamonds. Lastly, he had me put on some matching teardrop diamond earrings that dangled daintily as I moved my head. _I can't even begin to fathom what all of this is costing… Why is he doing this?_

The jeweler was even more cheerful as he bid us goodbye. I followed Mr. Ichinomiya out of the store, hoping that we were finally finished and heading back to the elevator. Instead, he led me to the salon, where three women appeared to be waiting for us. They greeted us and bowed with big smiles.

"Give this woman the full treatment. Be sure to cut off those dead ends in her hair and file down those claws of hers," said Mr. Ichinomiya. "I'll be back to get her in an hour. Don't let her leave on her own or with anyone else."

I examined my nails. _Geez, to hear him say it you would think I was some totally unkempt homeless girl from the street or something._

"Yes, Mr. Ichinomiya!" the three women chimed all together.

Suddenly I found myself sitting in a salon chair with one woman washing my hair while another started giving me a pedicure. "You poor thing! When's the last time you treated yourself to a makeover?" the third woman asked as she prepared some wax.

"Um, never."

All three of them gasped, "No way!"

"Well, you're in for a treat. We'll make sure you look super gorgeous for Mr. Ichinomiya!" the girl giving me a pedicure giggled.

"Uh, that wax isn't for me, right?" I asked nervously.

"Of course it is, silly!"

_Great…_

An hour later I have French tips on my fingernails and toenails; my long brown hair is in a partial up-do with soft, wavy curls tumbling down my back; and I swear they waxed, plucked, or trimmed just about every hair on my body. They even used whitening strips on my teeth. They're just putting the finishing touches on my makeup when Mr. Ichinomiya arrives.

I don't even get the chance to see myself in the mirror properly before the women urge me to stand up and go to him. For some reason I feel embarrassed and find myself staring at the floor. Mr. Ichinomiya reaches out and tilts my face upward, forcing me to look at him. "Fine," he said finally. "Let's go." He starts leading me out of the salon and I can hear the three women gushing behind us in hushed tones.

We get into the elevator and he backs me against the wall, standing way too close for comfort. "I'm taking you to the IVC." When I gave him a puzzled look, he explained in a low voice, "The party in the basement is called the International VIP Convention, or IVC, and it's a front for the black market auction. Just be a good girl and follow my lead. When I introduce you to people try not to say or do anything stupid. Many of them are important business associates. Understand?"

I nodded, but avoided looking into his eyes.

"No, look at me and tell me you understand," he demanded.

_I am the wolf, and I will not be afraid,_ I reminded myself. I brought my gaze up to his and said quietly, "Yes, I understand."

We're arm in arm as the elevator doors open to the basement ballroom I'd been led to the day before by the greasy man. No sooner had we stepped out, we were surrounded by several women clamoring for Mr. Ichinomiya's attention.

"Mr. Ichinomiya, I'm so happy to see you again!"

"Please be so kind as to show me around the party?"

"No, no, take me!"

_What the hell is wrong with these women? Don't they realize what this guy is like?_ I'm baffled and then realize some of the women are giving me dirty looks, almost as if they could hear what I was thinking.

"I already have a guest for the evening," Mr. Ichinomiya declared, then turned to me with a shockingly sweet smile. "Jesia, shall we?"

"Oh, um, yes," I stammer, my eyes wide. _He remembers my name? I'm pretty sure this is the first time he's used it._ He didn't seem overly pleased with my response, his smile slacking.

As we leave the heartbroken women behind I can hear them saying things to each other like, "Who the hell is she?" and "Who does she think she is?" We head into the party. I can't help but notice several people looking at us and whispering as we pass by. Mr. Ichinomiya grabs a glass of champagne from a waiter and offers it to me. "Here."

"Oh, I don't really—"

He puts his face closer to mine and says in a low voice, "I'm not asking."

"Right…" I say quietly and accept the glass.

Just as he slips an arm around my waist, I hear a familiar, chipper voice from behind. "Eisuke!" We turn around to see Ota, and as soon as he sees me from the front he stops dead in his tracks and gawks for a second. He quickly composed himself and smirked. "Well, well." He eyes me up and down greedily. "Someone's having fun with our new toy."

"Yeah, so much fun I don't think I'll want to share after all." Mr. Ichinomiya chuckled, his fingers gripping my waist.

_He's joking, right?!_

"Heh, don't go breaking the rules on us now. It was your idea to let her choose, you know." Ota ran his fingers through his sandy-colored hair. "I've still got my eye on her too."

"I'm sure," said Mr. Ichinomiya, completely unamused. "Now if you'll excuse us, we need to greet Mr. Bucci." He led me away from Ota and whispered, "Mr. Bucci is an Italian mob boss. I'm trying to make an important business deal with him, so behave yourself or else I'll make sure you regret it."

"O-Okay." I felt the sudden impulse to down my glass of champagne, but instead I nervously sipped at it in an attempt to dull my anxiety. We approached an older gentleman in a suit who was holding a cigar.

"Eisuke, so good to see you!" the gentleman greeted warmly. "You're looking quite well."

"It's a pleasure to see you again as well, Mr. Bucci. I knew you were coming and decided to look my very best," Mr. Ichinomiya replied, grinning. "I do hope you're enjoying my hotel so far."

"Indeed, indeed." Then Mr. Bucci's gaze turned to me. "But who is this enchanting young lady?"

"Of course, how rude of me. Jesia, introduce yourself to Mr. Bucci." I could feel Mr. Ichinomiya's fingers grip my waist more firmly as he said this.

I mustered up a smile and bowed my head in a show of respect. "Mr. Bucci, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jesia Wolf."

Mr. Bucci took my hand and lightly kissed it. "The pleasure is all mine. Any woman of Eisuke's must be an extraordinary woman." He turned to Mr. Ichinomiya again and said, "Is this your girlfriend? My daughter will be sorely disappointed."

_Girlfriend? No way!_ I took another sip of champagne to hide my amusement.

"She isn't yet, but I hope to make her mine soon." Mr. Ichinomiya chuckled.

I almost choked on my champagne. _What?!_

"Is that so?" Mr. Bucci inquired. "Well, young lady, I must say that you really couldn't do better than Eisuke here."

I smiled weakly at Mr. Bucci. "Ah, well, we've only just met, so…"

"Where is it that you're from?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh, I'm from the United States, sir."

"And where did you learn to speak such wonderful Japanese?"

I glanced at Mr. Ichinomiya and he nodded as if to give me permission to speak. "My uncle married a Japanese woman when I was small," I explained. "I was really very fond of her, and since she couldn't have children of her own, we grew very close. I also studied the language while at university."

Mr. Bucci nodded a little, seeming satisfied with my answers. "And how old are you?"

_Where is he going with this?_ "Twenty-two," I replied.

"Ah, so young. I think I can see now why you might grab Eisuke's attention."

"O-Oh, I don't know about that," I laugh nervously. "I'm pretty ordinary."

I felt Mr. Ichinomiya's grip on me tighten, pulling me closer to him. "Don't be so modest," he said. I took this to mean that I should be quiet now. "Anyway, Mr. Bucci, I would love to discuss that business arrangement with you soon. I can assure you that you won't regret partnering with me. In the meantime, please enjoy the hotel and don't hesitate to call upon me for anything."

"Indeed. Thank you, Eisuke. I'll let you get back to enjoying time with your special lady. Miss Wolf, was it?"  
"Yes, sir. It was very nice to meet you." I bowed my head again for good measure.

The two men said their goodbyes and Mr. Bucci walked away. I was a little afraid to look at Mr. Ichinomiya to see if I had done okay or not, so I took another sip of champagne. Suddenly he brought his lips close to my ear and murmured, "Maybe you won't be useless after all."

Mr. Ichinomiya showed me around the party a while longer, but Mr. Bucci was the only guest he sought out himself. Everyone else seemed to flock to him, making pleasant conversation and alluding to potential business deals. I was growing tired and the high heels started hurting my feet. That's when we approached a bartender manning a door at the back of the ballroom. "Rabbit," Mr. Ichinomiya said to the man.

"Good evening, Mr. Ichinomiya. What can I get for you tonight?" the bartender asked.

"Bol's Rhapsody."

"Of course. This way, sir." The bartender opened the door behind him, which led to a room with a wall of mirrors. "Welcome to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party."

Mr. Ichinomiya and I entered the room, and the bartender closed the door after us. I looked around, confused as to what we were doing in such a strange room. Then Mr. Ichinomiya pushed on one of the mirror panels, causing it to slide aside and reveal a secret elevator. I was bewildered. _This is the kind of stuff you see on TV, not in real life,_ I thought.

"Let's go," he said, pulling me into the elevator with him. After a short ride the elevator doors opened to reveal gallery seating at the auction hall. Mr. Oh, Mr. Baba, and Ota are already seated there.

I start to panic a little, the memories of the day before flooding back through my mind. "W-Why did you bring me here?" I asked quietly.

"Figure it out for yourself," Mr. Ichinomiya replied coldly.

The other guys turned at the sound of his voice. Ota smiled when he saw me again, and Mr. Baba's eyes widened. "Whoa, Jesia? I can hardly recognize you. You were cute before, but now you're gorgeous!"

I looked away, embarrassed, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Baba."

"Hey, no need to be so formal. You can call me Mitsunari if you want, or even Micchi or Micchan." He winked.

"I think I'll stick with Mr. Baba, if that's okay."

He smiled. "A shame. But at least drop the 'mister,' okay?"

"Okay, then. Baba," I agreed, and his face lit up.

Mr. Oh spoke up, "You don't think you went a little far, Eisuke? Dressing her up like that, I mean."

Mr. Ichinomiya's lips curled into a smile. "You can't put a price on entertainment like this. Heh." Suddenly he pulled me close to him again, startling me.

I frowned a bit. _That's all I am, huh? Entertainment, a toy._

"When will I get to have fun with her? I want to be next," Ota piped up.

Mr. Ichinomiya doesn't even blink when he says, "I've already decided to hand her over to Soryu when we get back to the penthouse tonight."

_What, the mafia guy?_ I nervously glance over at Mr. Oh, but his face is expressionless. I tremble a bit.

"Hehe, that'll be interesting, seeing Sor with a woman," Baba chuckled.

Mr. Oh didn't seem amused and said, "Shut up, Baba."

Mr. Ichinomiya led me to a chair and said, "Sit."

As I sat, Ota grinned. "Heh, she's like a puppy. I can't wait for my turn."

I turn my attention to the auction and watch intently, mesmerized by all the bizarre items up for bids. _Ancient relics, priceless works of art, legal documents… even organ donors? Where the hell do they come up with this stuff anyway?_

I'm startled when Mr. Ichinomiya suddenly starts talking to me. "I started these auctions to help Baba get rid of his stolen artifacts," he said.

"What?"

Baba spoke up, "That's right. I'm a thief." He winked.

_How can he say it so casually like that?!_

Mr. Ichinomiya continued, "But of course the money's not bad." He smirked as he explained the basics of the black market auction. "The people in the audience wear masks to conceal their identities, but they're all rich and famous. Every one of them has to be invited, so not just anyone can get in here."

"What about the people working at the auction?" I asked, curious to know about the men who sold me.

"Members of the mafia community," Mr. Oh said.

"Oh…" _I had no idea that this whole time, from the moment I arrived at Tres Spades, I was surrounded by dangerous criminals._

"None of the hotel workers know about the auction, except for the manager," Mr. Ichinomiya added.

For some reason that troubled me. _Even that nice man who wanted to help me find my luggage is in on it. Knowing all of this now, how have more people not accidentally stumbled into this? How can something so huge be kept so secretive?_

"I'm bored with the auction. Let's head back upstairs now," Ota suggested.

As soon as we got back to the fifty-first floor, I wanted to go change out of my dress and heels, but Baba and Ota seemed to have something else in mind. Mr. Ichinomiya and Mr. Oh disappeared upstairs while Baba and Ota escorted me to the lounge and beckoned me to sit on the sofa. They sat on either side of me while Detective Kishi smoked a cigarette in the background like he had the night before. Baba drapes an arm around my shoulder; I try to shrug him off, but as I do the right strap of my dress falls a little.

"Whoa! A tattoo?" Ota draws attention to the back of my shoulder.

Before I can pull the strap back up, Baba traces the tattoo with his fingertip. "Seven, huh? My lucky number. I'll have to take you with me next time I go to the casino." His grin made my stomach turn, but then he gently pulled the strap back up for me.

"Heh, I thought you were an innocent little thing, but it looks like there's a mischievous streak in you after all," said Ota, obviously amused.

Baba suddenly changed the subject. "So, tell us about yourself, Jesia. What brought you to Japan?"

"Huh?" I look at him, puzzled and a little suspicious. "Why would you care about that?"

He winked. "I want to know everything about you, pretty lady."

_Gee, that's not creepy at all,_ I thought sarcastically. The two of them kept prodding me until I told them about how I'd come to Japan looking for a little excitement and adventure after I finished up college. "I guess I got more than I bargained for," I said wryly.

"What, didn't you party or do anything wild in school?" Ota asked.

I shook my head. "No, I was too busy studying."

Ota's face fell. "How boring."

"I bet you had a ton of boyfriends, though, right?" said Baba.

"No, not really."

Suddenly Ota gasped. "That's it!"

"What?" I asked.

He grinned and put his face right in front of mine, looking into my eyes. "You're a virgin, aren't you?"

"Wh-What?!" I could feel my face get hot.

Ota laughed. "I was wondering where that innocent look in your eyes came from. That's it, isn't it? You're a virgin."

"Th-That's none of your business!" I stood up in a huff, and in front of me stood Mr. Oh and Mr. Ichinomiya, staring at me strangely.

Suddenly Mr. Kishi interjected, "Grow up, Ota. I keep telling you guys she's just a kid." He continued puffing on his cigarette.

"Pfft, and you keep talking like she's jailbait. She's only two years younger than me." Ota was obviously annoyed, his brows furrowed.

"Shut up, all of you," Mr. Oh demanded. He turned his gaze to me and said, "Go upstairs and get your things. You're staying in my suite tonight."


	3. Episode 2: Soryu Oh

"Gaijin"

Episode 2: Soryu Oh

I took the opportunity to flee the situation without a moment's hesitation, walking as quickly up the stairs as I could without tripping in my heels. When I arrived at the bedroom I'd stayed in the night before, I immediately kicked off my shoes and breathed a sigh of relief. _Those heels were killing me._ Then I noticed a laundry bag on the bed and peeked inside. _Ah, my old clothes from before._ Not wanting to waste another second, I carefully removed every piece of the platinum jewelry I was wearing and placed them neatly on the bedside table, then grabbed the laundry bag and shut myself away in the bathroom to change.

_That's better._ I even took off the nice underwear Mr. Ichinomiya had bought for me and threw it in the empty bag, not wanting to keep anything that might remind me of him or this weird day. I emerged from the bathroom feeling more like myself than I had all day, but then I noticed there was someone else in the room. "Ba-Baba?"

He chuckled. "It's Baba, two 'bas.'"

"Right," I eyed him warily as I laid the dress I'd been wearing out on the bed. "What are you doing here?"

"You were taking a while, so I thought I'd help you with your luggage. But I guess you were just changing, huh?" His gaze went from me to the dress on the bed. "You don't like dressing up?"

I considered for a moment. "I guess it's not so much that."

"Oh?" He gave me a knowing look. "Is the Boss not your type?"

_He means Mr. Ichinomiya, right?_ Before I could think to censor myself I blurted out my true feelings. "He's a jerk, so no."

Baba looked a little surprised. "Really? He's usually so popular with women."

I shook my head. "I don't see why. He's cold and rude and full of himself."

"Ah, that's just the way he is with women, but for some reason they eat it up. Life's just not fair sometimes," Baba mused.

_You have no idea, _I thought, suddenly feeling sad.

"Oh, before I forget, I have something for you," said Baba cheerfully. He pulled a small package out of his jacket and offered it to me.

I looked at the object in his hand, puzzled. "Chocolate?"

He wore that gentle smile, the one that could so easily make me forget he was a criminal if I weren't careful. "I saw you looking at it at the convenience store yesterday. Go ahead. I got it for you."

_He was watching me that closely?_ I hesitantly reached out and accepted the candy, then looked up at him and asked suspiciously, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I believe in being nice to girls." Baba winked. "Anyway, you probably shouldn't keep Sor waiting too much longer, you know."

I felt my eyes go wide. _Crap, I forgot about him._ I grabbed my luggage and started out the door.

Baba followed me over to the stairs. "Hey, I was gonna help you with that."

When I got to the stairs I immediately picked up my luggage and started making my way down on my own. "Thanks, but I've lugged this thing all over Japan the last couple of weeks. I'm fine."

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I saw that Mr. Kishi, Mr. Ichinomiya, and Ota were all gathered around looking at something.

Mr. Kishi looked up. "I thought you were going to help her, Baba. Why is she carrying that stuff?"

Baba smirked. "She's a stubborn little thing."

"Jesia," Ota called out to me suddenly. "I thought you didn't have a boyfriend?"

"Huh?" I was really confused by the sudden change in subject. "I don't."

"Then who are you with in this picture?" Ota grinned, holding out my cell phone.

"Wha—?" I gaped. "Where did you get my cell phone?!"

Ota looked thoroughly amused by my reaction. "From your purse, of course."

Mr. Ichinomiya scoffed at the picture, "What kind of man lets his woman travel abroad alone?"

"As if I need a man's permission!" I yelled fiercely.

"I'm kind of jealous. How come this guy gets to hug you and I don't?" Ota teased.

"Hey, if Ota gets to hug Jesia then I want in on it too," Baba interjected with a sly grin.

But Mr. Ichinomiya ignored the other two men and glared at me darkly. "You seem to have forgotten the situation you're in."

I froze. "Huh?"

"I have your ticket home right here." Mr. Ichinomiya held up my passport as if to taunt me with it, and my heart sank. "Good girls are quiet and compliant. If you're a good girl, you might get to go home when we're done with you."

I looked down at the floor, every muscle in my body tensed and my hands balled into fists. "…What do I have to do?"

I could hear the satisfaction in Mr. Ichinomiya's voice as he said, "That depends on who your owner is. I was kind enough to give you the choice, remember?"

I said nothing.

"Oh, and by the way, we've done some checking up on you," he continued.

I felt something heavy weigh on my chest and stared up at Mr. Ichinomiya with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

"We know that no one's going to come looking for you when you don't return home tomorrow," he said coolly.

Of course, I'd known this in the back of my mind all along. My parents were dead, and I had no siblings or other close relatives who would notice my absence any time soon; my friends would just assume I loved Japan so much that I decided to stay. But it wasn't until I heard it said out loud that I realized just how alone and helpless I was. I clenched my teeth together and shut my eyes tight, willing myself not to cry. _He's right. I'm completely on my own. The only one who can save me from this is me._

"As far as the Japanese government is concerned you've extended your stay to work here at the hotel. Understand?"

I opened my eyes again and forced myself to look up at Mr. Ichinomiya. "Yes. I understand perfectly." My fear and despair turned to hate as I glared at him.

"Good," he said. Then he turned his attention to something behind me. "Then have at her, Soryu." Mr. Ichinomiya gave off that wicked smile.

I turned around to see Mr. Oh standing there with his arms crossed. He must have been there for a while. "Are you done talking yet?" he asked me gruffly.

"Yes," I answered quietly, feeling defeated.

"Then come with me." I followed Mr. Oh to his suite, leaving the rest of the guys in the lounge.

He showed me to an extra bed just off the main living room area and said, "You'll stay here. Don't come into my bedroom and don't leave without my permission."

I looked down at the floor. _It's just the same as with Mr. Ichinomiya, but given that he's a mobster I can't even begin to imagine what this guy might have in store for me._

Suddenly Mr. Oh was towering over me. I looked up, startled. "Be a good girl and I won't do anything bad to you," he said, his face only inches from mine. "Understand?"

"Y-Yes." _He has to be almost a whole foot taller than me,_ I thought. _There's no way I'd be able to fight him off if I needed to._

"Good. Now go take a shower." And just like that, Mr. Oh went into the next room, leaving me alone.

_Scary,_ I thought. _But all I can do is__ take him at his word, that he won't do anything "bad" to me if I'm "good," whatever that means._

I followed the same basic process as the night before, except this time I had the luxury of using my own pajamas. Just for good measure, I still wrapped myself up in a yukata before leaving the bathroom. I threw my things back into my suitcase then sat on the bed and got to work brushing the tangles out of my wet hair.

Mr. Oh emerged from his room and looked at me with his arms crossed. "I ordered you some food. It's over there." He nodded toward a covered tray on the coffee table.

I blinked at him, surprised by his kindness. "Oh, um, thank you."

Suddenly Mr. Oh began unbuttoning his shirt, causing me to freeze and stare at him nervously. He glared at me and said, "Don't get any weird ideas." He disappeared into the bathroom, and I heard the shower start running.

I shivered. _He's intimidating, but maybe he isn't all bad?_ I pondered this as I continued fiddling with my hair. Whether it was out of boredom or nervous energy, I ended up taking the time to braid it. Just as I was finishing, Mr. Oh came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips. I suddenly lost the ability to breathe and couldn't help but stare, my thoughts wandering where they shouldn't in such a situation. _Damn, he's built. And this is the first time I've seen him with his hair down._

For some reason Mr. Oh looked surprised to see that I was right where he left me. After an awkward pause he asked, "What are you gawking at?"

I felt my face get hot and looked away from him. "Um, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

He glanced at the untouched tray on the coffee table. "Eat something already. Starving yourself won't do you any good."

"O-Okay." _Why is he so concerned that I eat?_ Mr. Oh glared at me until I moved over to the coffee table and sat down on the floor in front of it.

There was a knock at the door. "Tch." Mr. Oh looked annoyed as he went to answer it. I lifted the cover on the food tray and began picking at a bowl of rice with the chopsticks.

I heard Ota's voice when the door opened. "Whoa! Where are your clothes, Soryu? You didn't already—?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Mr. Oh scoffed. "What do you want, Ota?"

"I just wanted to say good night to Jesia is all," Ota replied cheerfully as he slipped past Mr. Oh and into the room.

"Whatever. You've got two minutes." Mr. Oh went back into his bedroom, but left the door slightly ajar. Ota took a seat on the sofa across from me and snickered.

I eyed him warily, the tips of my chopsticks still in my mouth when I asked, "What?" That was a bad habit of mine, holding my chopsticks in my teeth like that.

There was something devious behind that angelic exterior, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Ota said, "Just thinking about how cute you are with something in your mouth. Heh."

I raised an eyebrow at him. _The hell is that supposed to mean?_ Unsure of how to respond, I ignored his comment and continued nibbling at my dinner.

"Are you sure you weren't Japanese in a past life?" Ota asked suddenly. I looked at him, confused by what he meant. "You just look so at home in a yukata, sitting on the floor and eating with chopsticks."

"How am I supposed to know what I was in another life?" I asked half sarcastically.

He shrugged a little and combed his fingers through his hair. "I suppose that's something you should ask Baba about. He's into all that superstitious stuff."

I thought about it for a moment. _That would make sense. He was reading that Western astrology page in the magazine at the convenience store._

Suddenly Ota leaned across the coffee table, his face right in front of mine, his eyes devoid of their usual mirth. He tilted my face up towards his and said, "Don't do that."

"D-Do what?" _What is he doing? Why is his face so close?_

"Don't think about another man in front of me." I tried to look away, my heart pounding, but he steered my face back to his. "It bothers me. How about when it's my turn I make it so that I'm the only one you can think about?"

"Wh-Wh—"

Just then Mr. Oh returned, this time fully clothed. "Back off, Ota. Time's up."

Ota smiled at me sweetly as he stood up and patted me on the head. "Good night, my pet. I hope to see more of you soon." And with that, he left the suite.

_Yeesh, what's with that guy? He totally just creeped me out,_ I thought. Then I noticed that Mr. Oh was looking at me intently. "Um?"

"Just know that if you try to run or tell anyone about the auction, I'll have you drowned in the Tokyo Bay. Now get some sleep."

I stared wide-eyed as Mr. Oh returned to his room. _He's definitely scary! How am I supposed to sleep after hearing him say something like that?_

Even long after I was left alone I found it difficult to sleep. I lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling and clutching a pillow, contemplating a million things at once. _I'm so exhausted. I wish I could turn my brain off and sleep._ Eventually I pulled a fantasy novel out of my suitcase and tried reading to get my mind off those guys, but all it did was give me bizarre dreams when I finally did drift off.

"Hey… Hey! Are you gonna sleep all day?"

Suddenly I bolted upright in bed, scared half to death from being woken so suddenly. "Wh-What?!" I looked up and realized it was Mr. Oh. "O-Oh, it's just you," I breathed.

He gave me a strange look. "Just me?" he repeated.

"Oh! I-I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that I was having a nightmare," I explained nervously. _Then again, I've woken from one nightmare only to return to another,_ I thought sadly.

"Tch, weird girl," Mr. Oh muttered. "Get dressed and meet me in the lounge."

"R-Right… Are we going somewhere?"

Mr. Oh crossed his arms and said, "My office. Unlike those other guys I don't have the time to play with you all day."

A thought occurred to me. "If I'll be in the way I could just stay here," I suggested.

"Tch, no way. You're a major flight risk. Now get dressed." Mr. Oh left me alone in the suite.

_Well, it was worth a shot._ I sighed heavily and started going through my luggage to find a clean outfit. _Hmm, I really don't have much left. I wonder if they'd let me do laundry sometime soon._ I settled on a pair of Bermuda shorts and a spaghetti strap top, then went to the bathroom to change, get cleaned up, and apply a little makeup. Amazingly my braid held up, despite all my tossing and turning in the night; I just had to smooth out the top of my hair a bit. Then I made my way to the lounge, again unsure of what awaited me that day.

What I found was a strange scene. All the guys were sitting around playing a card game, and there were two women hanging all over Ota and Mr. Ichinomiya. A third woman tried sidling up to Mr. Oh, but he totally ignored her and even turned away, so she quickly set her sights on Mr. Kishi instead, who was sitting on the other side of her. _What the heck is this? Do rich people really party like this all day long?_

"Come on, ladies, can't you be on my side for once?" I heard Baba pouting.

"Women like winners, and all you've done so far is lose," Mr. Ichinomiya replied.

Suddenly Ota noticed me and called out, "Hey, Jesia! Come over here. Don't be shy. Come sit with me." As usual he looked way too cheerful. The woman next to him, however, shot me a hateful look. If only she knew that I wasn't here voluntarily.

_Crap, I guess I don't really have a choice now that they've seen me._ I walked over to where everyone was sitting but didn't see a free seat, so I hesitated.

Suddenly—"There she is!" Baba grabbed me from behind and pulled me down into his lap.

"Ack!" I gasped as he held me firmly against him with both of his arms wrapped tightly around me, each of his hands holding my wrists so that I couldn't escape.

"There's my lady luck!" Baba kissed the tattoo on the back of my shoulder with a loud _smooch!_ My whole body twitched involuntarily at this.

"Quit acting like a dirty old man, Baba. You're freaking the kid out," Mr. Kishi said lazily.

"I'm out," Mr. Oh said as he threw his cards down on the table. He stood up and glared down at me and Baba. "You, up. We're going."

"Um." I blinked up at him with wide eyes, squirming feebly but unable to even get an arm free. Plus with the added height of me being in Baba's lap, my feet couldn't quite reach the floor. The other ladies in the room must have thought all of this was funny, because I heard them giggle.

But Baba didn't let me go. "Aww, we were just getting started. Don't be such a spoilsport, Sor."

Suddenly Mr. Oh reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a gun, which he pointed right behind me at Baba. I completely froze up while the other three ladies let slip surprised shrieks.

"Hey, no guns! No guns!" Baba immediately threw up both hands as if to surrender; I jumped out of his lap and stepped away in case he tried to grab me again.

"Soryu does love his mobster jokes, but I don't think they're very funny," Ota said, a worried look on his face.

"You got what you wanted. Put that thing away already," said Mr. Ichinomiya nonchalantly.

Mr. Kishi looked amused and said, "Someone likes their new toy." Suddenly Mr. Oh turned his gun on Mr. Kishi. "Whoa, hey. I could arrest you, you know." Despite these words, Mr. Kishi didn't look too concerned as he continued puffing away on his cigarette.

"Shut up." Mr. Oh finally put the gun away, but he still looked annoyed as I followed him out of the lounge and to the elevator.

As we rode down to the lobby, Mr. Oh again towered over me and said, "Remember what I said about what would happen if you tried to run?"

"Y-Yes." _That's why I couldn't sleep last night. How could I possibly forget it?_ "I won't… After all, I can't get very far without a passport or money," I added.

Mr. Oh crossed his arms and said, "As long as you understand. Walk beside me and stay close so I can keep an eye on you. The Ice Dragons' office isn't far from here, so we'll walk."

"Ice Dragons?"

"The Hong Kong mafia organization I work for. I'm in charge of the Japanese branch," he explained. I swallowed nervously.

Once we debarked I walked closely beside Mr. Oh just as he'd instructed. We exited the hotel and walked several blocks. It felt like he was watching me out of the corner of his eye the entire time, as if he expected me to bolt at any second. This made me even more apprehensive. Eventually we came upon a pretty normal looking building, where he stopped and held the door open for me.

"Thank you," I said automatically. Mr. Oh gave me a strange look. _Ah, that was probably weird since he's making me come here with him._

As soon as we entered, a young man came bounding up to us. He bowed respectfully and said, "Good morning, sir!" For some reason Mr. Oh looked a little annoyed. Then the young man turned his attention to me, looking surprised. "Sir, when did you get a girlfriend?"

"Don't be stupid, Inui. This is the girl from the auction," Mr. Oh explained, his arms crossed. "Well? Introduce yourself, woman."

I was a bit startled to be addressed so directly by Mr. Oh like this. _He could at least use my name,_ I thought. "Hello. My name is Jesia Wolf." I gave a little bow.

"Miss Wolf, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ryosuke Inui. May I get you something to drink? Perhaps some tea?" The young man had such a friendly smile on his face.

_Wow, how did a nice guy like him end up in the mafia?__ And he's actually pretty cute._ I smiled back at him, suddenly feeling a little more at ease. "Oh, no thank you, Mr. Inui. I'm fine."

"Please, call me Ryosuke." He turned his attention back to Mr. Oh. "Sir, is there anything I can do for you right now?"

"I just need to finish up some business in my office. One thing you can do for me is make sure this woman doesn't leave the building without my permission. If anything happens I'll hold you personally responsible." Mr. Oh's eyes narrowed.

Ryosuke didn't even bat an eyelash before saying, "Understood, sir!"

_It seems like Ryosuke's pretty loyal to Mr. Oh, so maybe he isn't all bad after all?_ Suddenly I found myself becoming curious about what Mr. Oh was actually like as a person.

I followed the two men wordlessly further into the building, marveling at how totally ordinary it was. _It looks just like any other office building. Do people know that it's affiliated with the mafia?_ While I'd never given it much thought before, the environment just didn't seem to mesh with my vague understanding of the underground world. Eventually we stepped into an office, complete with a desk, bright windows, bookshelves, and a couch.

"Inui, I need to speak with Kyo," Mr. Oh said.

"Yes, right away, sir!" Ryosuke dashed out of the room, leaving me alone with Mr. Oh.

I looked around, hoping that Mr. Oh would give me some hint as to what I should do. He said nothing as he stood by his desk. After a moment I finally asked, "Um, so, what should I do here?"

"Just stay quiet and out of the way," Mr. Oh replied simply.

_All right. I'm good __with__ that,_ I thought.

Ryosuke returned along with a man who had a long scar over his eye. "I've brought Kyo," he announced.

The man called Kyo looked at me curiously and asked, "Who is she?"

"She's not important," Mr. Oh answered. "Inui, take the woman out of the room for a bit. She doesn't need to hear this."

"Yes, sir! Please come with me, Miss Wolf." Ryosuke ushered me out of the room and down the hall, chatting along the way. "Sorry about earlier. Mr. Oh has never brought a woman to the office before, so I figured you had to be his girlfriend. Where are you from, Miss Wolf?"

Somehow Ryosuke's easygoing nature and smile made me feel more at ease despite my current predicament. "I'm from the United States," I replied.

"Ah. I'd love to visit sometime because it sounds like an interesting country, but my job doesn't really allow for vacations like that," Ryosuke said. "Also, your Japanese is really good, Miss Wolf! I'm impressed."

I couldn't help but smile a little, my heart suddenly warmed by his genuine compliment. "Thank you, but I'm sure I still have much to learn."

Ryosuke steered me into another room down the hall from Mr. Oh's office; it looked like an ordinary office break room with a table and chairs, couch, kitchenette, and television. "Please, have a seat." I sat at the table and he took a chair across from me. "So, Miss Wolf, are you somehow affiliated with the American underground?"

His question caught me totally off guard. "Huh?"

"I just thought that since you're with Mr. Oh and you have that tattoo, that maybe you were part of an American faction." Ryosuke looked surprised. "Is that not the case?"

_That's__ right. Traditionally people with tattoos are associated with the yakuza in Japan._ "Oh, no, not at all. I came to Japan for vacation and ended up here by mistake." Ryosuke had a baffled, almost disappointed look on his face for some reason. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

"It's just that Mr. Oh doesn't normally like to get innocent people involved here," he explained. "So I'm surprised that he would bring you here to the Ice Dragons' office." Suddenly his face perked up again. "Not that I'm not happy to meet you, Miss Wolf!"

I wonder, _If I ask Ryosuke, would he tell me what Mr. Oh is really like?_ Going off his earlier statement, I asked, "What do you mean Mr. Oh doesn't like to get innocent people involved?"

"Just as I said. Mr. Oh runs this branch moderately, the way his grandfather before him did. The current leader is more extreme." Ryosuke's face fell. "He'll do whatever it takes to gain money and power, even if it means endangering innocent lives. It's unforgivable! That's why me and the rest of the guys here really admire Mr. Oh."

_Wow, that was easy,_ I thought, genuinely surprised at how much information he gave with so little prodding. "Is that so?"

"Yes!" Ryosuke replied emphatically. "We want to do everything we can to help Mr. Oh take back control of the Ice Dragons."

_It sounds like Mr. Oh was telling the truth when he told me he wouldn't hurt me as long as I was good. That's kind of a relief. Maybe he'd even let me go…?_

I was pulled away from my thoughts and back into reality by the sound of a cell phone ringing. Ryosuke answered it. "Sir! ….Yes, right away!" He quickly hung up and stood. "Mr. Oh wants me to escort you back to his office now. Please come with me, Miss Wolf." I stood up as well and followed him out the door.

As soon as we reentered the office, Mr. Oh narrowed his eyes at me and said, "Inui, any problems?"

"No, sir," he replied easily.

"Good."

"Is there anything else I can do, sir? Perhaps I could pick up some lunch for you and Miss Wolf," Ryosuke suggested.

Mr. Oh seemed totally uninterested in what Ryosuke was saying. "Do whatever you want."

Ryosuke turned to me with a smile and asked, "Do you like curry, Miss Wolf? There's a wonderful restaurant down the street with the best curry rice."

I felt my face light up for the first time in days. "I love curry!"

"Great! I'll go get us some." And with that, Ryosuke left.

_Crap, now I'm alone with Mr. Oh again, _I thought nervously. _I don't know what to do._ I stood there and glanced around the room absently.

"Sit," I heard Mr. Oh say.

"Oh, um, okay." I obediently took a seat on the couch, and Mr. Oh continued working at his desk. The next twenty minutes or so passed by slowly and I began to feel restless.

Then Ryosuke returned. "I'm back!" he announced cheerfully.

I smiled, glad that the silence had been broken by this young man's friendly demeanor. Ryosuke started to put a food container on the desk, but Mr. Oh stopped him. "Put it over there. I'll eat later."

Ryosuke did as he was told and then stood in front of me. "I hope you like it," he said as he handed me a food container and a spoon.

"It smells delicious!" I said excitedly. "Thank you so much, Ryosuke."

He grinned. "Miss Wolf, I noticed earlier that you seemed tense. I'm pretty good at massages, you know." He walked behind where I was sitting on the couch. "Would you like me to massage your shoulders for you?" Just as Ryosuke started to reach out to me, Mr. Oh suddenly stood up, stalked over to us, and slapped Ryosuke's hands away. I was stunned, my eyes wide. Ryosuke looked equally baffled. "S-Sir?"

"Inui, you've got work to do. Go."

"O-Of course. I'm very sorry, sir!" With that, Ryosuke scurried out of the room.

"Don't misunderstand," Mr. Oh said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It would just be a pain if he got attached to you."

I didn't know what to say, so I kept quiet. Mr. Oh went back to work at his desk, and I took my time enjoying the curry rice Ryosuke had brought for me. After I was done, though, the awkward silence was once again deafening to me. _I wish I had something to do…_ I set my eyes on Mr. Oh's bookshelf and began wondering what he might have there, but I didn't feel comfortable enough to ask.

Suddenly Mr. Oh's gruff voice broke the silence. "What are you staring at?" he asked.

I turned my attention to him in surprise and said, "Oh, I was just wondering what sort of books you might have."

"You can look if you want, but there's probably nothing of interest to you." Mr. Oh turned his attention back to whatever he was working on.

_Is it really okay?_ Tentatively I stood up and walked over to the bookshelf. As I scanned the spines I noticed that pretty much all of the books were in Japanese or Chinese. I mentally groaned, _I hate reading a lot of kanji._ Then I noticed a book lying on its side with the spine facing away. Curious, I picked it up and was surprised to find that the book was written in English. _Oh! It's a Sherlock Holmes_ _book. I've never read any of them._ "Um, Mr. Oh, would it be all right if I borrow this?"

Without even looking up he replied with, "Do whatever you want as long as you keep quiet."

_I'll take that as a 'yes,' then._ "Thank you," I said quietly. I made myself comfortable on the couch and engrossed myself in reading for the rest of the afternoon.

"Hey… Hey!"

"Hmm?" The next thing I knew I was waking up again.

"Is sleeping all you're good for?" It was Mr. Oh's voice, and he sounded a little annoyed. I yawned as I sat up. "You're a strange woman, falling asleep in a crime syndicate's office," he continued.

"I know," I said simply as I stretched a bit, still groggy from the impromptu nap.

"It doesn't bother you, being called strange?"

"Mmm, no." I continued speaking as I yawned again. "I know I'm strange. And I figure you might as well own what you are…" Suddenly it occurred to me who I was speaking to and I looked up at Mr. Oh, startled and wide-eyed. "U-Um, I'm sorry." I don't know what I was sorry for exactly. Just for whatever I did to annoy him.

"Whatever." Mr. Oh brushed it off. "I'm going to have Inui take you back to the hotel. This work is taking a little longer than I thought. At least one of the other guys should be there by now too."

I pursed my lips, wanting to ask something, but I was afraid of the answer.

"You look like you have something to say," said Mr. Oh.

_He's too perceptive._ "I was just wondering who I'm going to next," I admitted.

"It doesn't matter," he replied coldly. "Just remember what I said about trying to run."

"Yes, sir," I answered. _Though it doesn't matter. Without my passport I can't very well run off now and catch my flight._

Ryosuke entered the room. "Miss Wolf, I'm here to escort you to the Tres Spades Hotel."

"Inui, don't stop anywhere on the way, and make sure she doesn't run off. Just take her back to the penthouse lounge and stay there with her until I come back," Mr. Oh instructed.

_Why does he want Ryosuke to stay with me? Does he really think I'm going to try to run away?_

"Understood, sir! You can count on me to take good care of Miss Wolf." Ryosuke smiled at me. "Shall we?"

I stood up and followed Ryosuke out of the room. For some reason I got the distinct feeling that Mr. Oh was watching me intently as we left.

I followed Ryosuke closely as we walked just as I had with Mr. Oh earlier that day. He chattered animatedly about what he imagined it was like to visit America, but I didn't pay too close attention. I had an odd feeling as we walked down the street. My intuition told me something wasn't right when I realized that there were three men walking behind us who consistently turned down all the same streets we did.

"Um, Ryosuke?" I interrupted him, feeling worried.

He stopped midsentence. "Is something wrong, Miss Wolf?"

"I'm not sure, but, it seems like those guys might be following us," I told him.

Before he could react to my words, the three men had caught up to us. "Oi, take the girl," I heard one of them say.

"Miss Wolf, run!" Ryosuke shouted fiercely.

"But—"

"Now!"

Not wasting another second on pointless arguing, I did as Ryosuke ordered and began to run as fast as I could. The only problem was I wasn't sure where I was going. _Shit, I'm going to end up lost and all alone in Tokyo. What should I—_

Before I could finish my thought, I felt somebody grab me from behind. I let out a surprised scream, and a hand clamped itself over my mouth to silence me. Whoever it was dragged me into a nearby alley. I struggled the whole way but was unable to free myself from the man's strong grasp. Suddenly he forced me up against a brick wall, causing me to yelp, and I felt him begin to tie my wrists together tightly behind my back.

"Stay quiet!" he growled.

I heard quick footsteps and another man's voice. "Got'er?" he asked.

Instead of answering, the man who was holding me up against the wall began questioning me. "What faction are you with?"

"Wh-What?!"

"Answer me!" he shouted.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"What were you doing in the Ice Dragons' office? What is Soryu Oh up to?" the man insisted.

"I-I told you, I don't know anything!" My frantic responses must have angered him, because he forced my head against the wall. "Ow!"

"Let's just take her back with us. The boss'll get'er to talk," the other man said.

_Oh no, I'm about to get kidnapped again!_

The man holding me agreed, "Right." Suddenly he let me go, but then I saw his hands right by my mouth with a cloth, ready to gag me. Startled and frightened for my life, I reflexively reached my face forward and bit the man's hand as hard as I could. He screamed and immediately backed off, holding his injured hand. "The bitch bit me!"

I turned to run, but within that same second the other man was in front of me. He pushed me forcibly against the wall and grabbed my neck with both hands, choking me. "Guess we'll have to do this the hard way," he said darkly, menace gleaming in his eyes.

I struggled desperately with all my strength, but I was simply helpless against him. I began to feel faint as he continued to choke me.

From out of nowhere there were shouts and a gunshot, and suddenly my body hit the pavement. I coughed as I gasped for breath, unable to get up with my hands bound behind my back. The next thing I saw when I looked up was Ryosuke standing in front of me defensively, holding a gun. Then I heard Mr. Oh's voice say, "Despicable! If you've got nothing better to do than beat up a little girl then you're nothing but low-life thugs."

"M-Mr. Oh!" I gasped in surprise. _Where did he come from?!_

Ryosuke turned and kneeled next to me. "I'm so sorry, Miss Wolf," he apologized as he gently helped me up. That's when I saw the two men who attacked us on the ground.

_A-Are they dead?_ I was completely in shock over what just happened, as if I had just had an out-of-body experience.

"We have to go, Miss Wolf," Ryosuke urged me.

The next thing I know I'm standing outside the Tres Spades Hotel with Mr. Oh and Ryosuke. Mr. Oh took off his jacket and put it around my shoulders. I looked at him, puzzled. "It'll draw unwanted attention if anyone here sees that your hands are bound," he explained. "It's a zip-tie, and we don't have anything to cut it with at the moment."

_Am I imagining things, or does he seem sort of, almost… apologetic?_ We entered the hotel and went straight up to the penthouse.

"Hey, they're back!" Ota announced cheerfully as we entered the lounge.

Mr. Ichinomiya seemed to sense right away that something was wrong. "What happened?"

"Inui and the girl got jumped by members of a rival faction on their way back to the hotel," Mr. Oh explained as he took his jacket back from me. "Baba, I need something to cut this zip-tie."

"Nooo problem, Sor. Allow me." Baba produced a tool from nowhere and gently cut me free.

I winced as I felt the intense pressure leave my wrists. "Ahh." I looked at them and saw deep red marks.

"Damn, they sure did a number on her," Mr. Kishi said.

Ryosuke spoke up, "It was my fault, sir. I told Miss Wolf to run. I should have stayed with her."

"How many times have I told you to make sure you're not being followed?" Mr. Oh asked, the fury evident in his tone of voice.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir!"

Unable to stand the tension anymore, I tried to shift the blame away from Ryosuke a bit. "I probably didn't help matters much when I bit that guy," I admitted, but no one seemed to hear me.

Ryosuke turned to me with sadness in his usually bright eyes. "I'll understand if you can't forgive me, Miss Wolf, but I'm truly sorry for what happened today." He bowed his head.

I shook my head. "It's not like you could've known what was going to happen. I don't blame you, Ryosuke," I answered him sincerely. I turned to Mr. Oh and asked quietly, "Would it be all right if I got cleaned up?" He nodded in response.

Just as I started to walk away, Ryosuke said, "Miss Wolf—"

But Mr. Oh interrupted him. "Let her go, Inui."

I went to Mr. Oh's suite and forced myself to shower despite my intense exhaustion. I looked at my body in the mirror and examined all the places on it that felt sore. "I'll probably have bruises pop up in the next day or so," I mused aloud as I gently touched my neck.

Drudgingly I finished my nightly routine, brushing the tangles out of my wet hair but this time leaving it down. I crawled into the bed I stayed in the night before, suddenly realizing that I actually felt sort of… safe? Before I could dwell on this feeling for too long, sleep took me.


	4. Episode 3: Mitsunari Baba

"Gaijin"

Episode 3: Mitsunari Baba

I felt the strangest sensation, like my body was floating, and there was something warm against my cheek. "Mm…" I sleepily nuzzled my face into the warmth. A moment later I felt myself being lowered, and I was no longer floating. The warmth disappeared from my cheek and reappeared on my forehead. "…Hm?" I slowly opened my eyes and blinked a couple of times to refocus. Baba's face was peering over me, his hand on my forehead.

He smiled and whispered, "Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you, Sleeping Beauty."

I looked up at him, confused, and he started running his fingers through my hair. "What? Where am I?" _Didn't I fall asleep in Mr. Oh's suite?_

"My room. Sor was pretty reluctant to hand you over, though. I think he's worried about you after what happened today." Baba had an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.

_Today… That's right._ The soreness I felt proved to me that what happened wasn't a dream. "Did you carry me here?" I asked.

Baba nodded. "Heh, you were so adorable when you were sleeping. I'd love to join you in bed so I can wake up to that face in the morning."

I felt a knot tighten in my chest and looked away in embarrassment. "Don't say such weird things."

"There's no need to be shy, but I understand. You must be really exhausted." He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. "Go ahead and sleep. We can continue this in the morning." He winked. "Good night, Princess." And with that, he walked out of sight.

_Continue "this"? What is "this"?_ I pondered but didn't get very far before exhaustion overwhelmed me again.

When I woke again there was sunlight peeking through the curtains and something warm enveloping my body from behind. _Hm? What is that?_ I turned my head and saw an arm draped over me. In my sleepy stupor it didn't register right away that there was a person attached. But when it did, I jumped and screamed.

Suddenly Baba clamped his hand over my mouth. "Shhh, Jesia, it's just me." I trembled as he turned me over to face him. When I calmed down he removed his hand from my mouth and pulled me closer to him, petting my hair as if trying to soothe me. "Sorry, baby, I didn't mean to scare you."

Once the shock wore off I found my hands and pushed against his chest, yelling at him, "What the hell?! You can't just crawl into bed with someone uninvited!" When pushing didn't do anything I suckerpunched Baba in the shoulder in an attempt to make my point.

"Ow! Did you seriously just hit me?" he asked, but he still didn't let me go.

"Yeah. You want another?" I replied fiercely.

Baba smirked and said, "Actually, getting hit just turns me on more."

"Gg…" I felt my face flush. _That totally backfired._ "Just let go of me already! You're not supposed to do anything to me, remember?"

He wore an innocent expression. "But you didn't seem to mind so much last night."

"Wh-What are you talking about?"

Baba grinned like a lovestruck kid. "Heh, you totally snuggled up to me!"

I gaped at him. "No way!"

"Yep, you definitely did. And you hugged me too. It's been a while since I've had the affection of such a young and cute girl. How could I possibly resist?" He resumed petting my hair.

I was stunned. _I do have a habit of hugging a pillow while I sleep. Damn it._ "Even if I did, it means nothing! I was sleeping!"

Baba feigned a hurt look. "You're pretty harsh towards me, Jesia. I really enjoyed our time together last night, and I thought surely you did too. You were really restless in your sleep until I joined you—"

"Let go of me already! You're freaking me out!" I yelled. He finally relented, and I immediately scrambled out of the bed. That's when I saw there was even a second unused bed next to the one I'd just been sleeping in. _Seriously?! There was no reason for him to share a bed with me!_ I thought, positively lit with rage.

Baba sat up in bed and put on that gentle smile, his hair messy from sleep. "But it's true. You kept tossing and turning until I joined you. Then you snuggled up to me and stayed still. I figured I was doing you a service."

"If I wanted your 'service,' I would have asked," I huffed.

He stretched a little and stood up. "Women sure are fickle, but that's what makes them interesting, I guess," Baba mused.

I shook my head. "Whatever kind of woman you think I am, you're wrong."

He ignored my comment and continued talking. "I got you a present. Wait there a second, pretty lady." Baba walked over to his enormous closet and slid open the door.

I couldn't help but take a peek inside and noticed all kinds of disguises, tools, and… _Oh my god. Guns?! Is he going to hurt me because I hit him?_ I tensed up and backed away a couple of steps, my heart suddenly racing with fear instead of anger.

Baba turned back around with a big smile, and he was holding… a white cocktail dress? I tilted my head in confusion. "What's that for?"

"I'm taking you to the casino. You're my lady luck, remember?" He winked and laid the dress out on the bed.

_Oh, well, that doesn't sound so bad, I guess. Certainly better than being forced to hang out at a mafia office,_ I thought, feeling somewhat relieved.

"I have something else for you too." Baba turned back to the closet and brought out a set of white lace lingerie.

I stared, dumbfounded. "You can't be serious."

He looked surprised. "Why not?"

"There's no way in hell I'm not wearing that."

"But you wore the underwear the Boss bought for you," Baba protested, pouting. He started walking towards me, and I instinctively backed away. Unfortunately I backed myself up against a wall. "So you'll wear this for me today." He smiled sweetly.

I locked eyes with him and asked, "And if I refuse?"

"Well, either way you're wearing this, so you've got two choices: you can dress yourself, or I can dress you." Baba's smile turned mischievous, and I would swear there was a glint in his eye.

"Y-You wouldn't," I stammered, suddenly feeling ill.

Baba's sweet smile returned. "Want to find out?"

_What if he's not bluffing? I don't want this creepy guy to see me naked!_ I turned away and could feel my face blush at the thought. "I can dress myself," I said quietly.

"That's a good girl," Baba said, sounding satisfied. Suddenly he gently took one of my wrists in his free hand and kissed it tenderly where there was still a mark left by the previous day's incident. I looked up at him, puzzled, and saw that he had that rare serious look on his face again. "Sorry if I scared you." He smiled again. "The truth is I'd really like it if we could have some fun together today, pretty lady. So go ahead and get ready, okay?"

"Um, okay," I reluctantly agreed.

"Great! It's a date, then." He grinned and handed me the lingerie. "The bathroom's over there. Take your time." And with that, Baba left me alone in his suite.

_I've certainly never been on a date like this before,_ I thought wryly and sighed. Feeling defeated, I took the lingerie and hung it up on the back of the bathroom door, then went to fetch the dress and some things from my suitcase, which I found next to the bed. I hung up the dress in the bathroom as well and was surprised at how simple it was. It was just a plain white cocktail dress, the only unique thing about it being that it was one-shouldered.

After freshening up a bit, I undressed and went to put on the lingerie. _Ugh, I've never worn anything like this before. How embarrassing._ It occurred to me that maybe I could just hide the lingerie instead of actually wearing it, but then I shivered at the thought of what he might do to me if he found out I disobeyed. _He must be a total pervert to make me wear something like this._ I reluctantly put it on and looked at myself in the mirror, but more than anything I was distracted by the marks left on my body from the day before: my neck, my wrists, my head. Thankfully they didn't look nearly as bad as I expected, but seeing them made me feel depressed all the same.

Then there was a knock on the bathroom door. "Jesia? It's Ota."

_Crap! What does he want?_ "Um, just a minute!" I replied as I frantically pulled the dress off the hanger and quickly slipped into it. I slowly opened the door, and there was Ota on the other side waiting for me. "Um, yes?" I asked uncertainly.

"I heard you had a date today and thought I'd help you pretty up," Ota responded cheerfully.

Confused, I repeated, "Pretty up?"

"As an artist I'm pretty good with my hands, you know."

"Umm…"

"Just sit back and let me work some magic!" He suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bathroom.

"Ack!"

Ota pulled me over to the sofa and sat next to me, studying my face closely for a moment. "Mm-hmm… Yes, got it." He then got to work on my face with the biggest makeup set I've ever seen.

Rather than complain, I decided to just sit still and ride it out. Surprisingly, Ota didn't try to make small talk. Instead he seemed completely focused on what he was doing to me, only opening his mouth to tell me to look up or down or close my eyes. After only a few minutes, he was already done.

"You don't need a lot of makeup since you're so young and have such nice skin," he said as he admired his work.

"Really? Thank you." _Wow, no one's ever told me that before. I certainly never expected to hear such a compliment from a guy._

"All right, now turn around and I'll do your hair." I did as Ota said and he immediately set to work with his nimble fingers.

_Huh, this is kind of nice, actually. I feel sort of relaxed like this._

I could feel Ota twisting and pinning my long hair into some kind of up-do. "So, has Baba tried anything with you yet?" he asked suddenly.

"Huh?" I was surprised by Ota's question and hesitated, not really wanting to admit what happened.

"He did something to you, didn't he?" Ota's voice sounded serious.

_I guess he's not going to let it go. He'll probably find out anyway. _"Well, actually, he got in bed with me while I was sleeping last night. When I woke up this morning he was spooning me." Just saying it out loud made me feel embarrassed and pissed off all over again.

Ota laughed. "Pfft, is that all?"

"What do you mean?"

"Baba is certifiably girl-crazy. He'd seduce a brick wall if he could get away with it," Ota explained. "Of course, when it comes to a girl like you, it's hard to blame him."

_A girl like me? What's that supposed to mean?_

Before I could ask these very questions, he said, "Almost done… There!"

"May I see?" I asked.

"Oh, wait a second. You didn't zip your dress all the way up, Jesia."

"Really?" I felt my face flush. "No way! Could you please fix it for me?"

Instead of the zipper in the middle of my back, Ota placed his warm hands on my shoulders and leaned his lips in next to my ear. He murmured, "To tell you the truth, I'd rather just take this dress off you."

Before I could even think to respond, Baba appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. _Wha-when did he—?_

"Now, Ota, don't be greedy. Today is my day with Jesia." Baba easily picked me up off the couch by the waist with both hands and gently set me upright on the floor. "I'll get it for you, pretty lady."

I could feel my face turn at least three distinct shades of red during this whole bizarre scene. I froze in place as Baba stepped behind me and I felt his fingers at the top of my dress. _Please don't do anything to me, please don't do anything to me, please don't do anything to me_, I silently begged.

I felt the tiny zipper tab being pulled up a bit, and then practiced fingertips latching the hook at the top. "There you go!" Baba said, sounding satisfied.

Ota groaned. "Can I at least have her next? I'm tired of waiting."

"Fine by me. Unless of course Jesia decides to go ahead and choose me after today." Suddenly Baba wrapped his arms around me from behind and pulled me close, resting his chin on top of my head. Meanwhile my heart was doing somersaults in my chest.

"No way. That wouldn't be fair at all," Ota protested. He stood up and combed his fingers through his hair, a hint of darkness in his eyes. "Jesia, don't let any of these guys fool you, okay? Don't make a decision until you've spent the day with me." He looked at me expectantly.

"Um, okay," I said.

Ota grinned. "In that case, I'd better be off to my studio. Bye!" And with that he grabbed his makeup case from the coffee table and left the suite.

"Look at you, gorgeous lady," Baba said as he loosened his grip and spun me around to face him. "I'd better not take my eyes off you for a second today, or someone could come along and steal you away from me." He winked. "Don't tell Ota, but I think you might be his latest masterpiece."

I blinked at him. _Is this guy for real?_

"That's right, I almost forgot. Wait here a second." Baba went back to his closet and rummaged around a bit. He brought out a shoe box and returned to where I was standing in front of the couch. "Can't be Cinderella without these!" He grinned. "Sit down and I'll put them on you."

"Wha—But, I can do it myself!" I protested.

The next thing I know he gently pushed on my shoulders, causing me to lose my balance just enough to fall perfectly back onto the sofa. He kneeled in front of me and gently slipped a high-heeled shoe onto each of my feet. He took my hands in his and grinned broadly. "You're my princess today, sugar. No more arguing!"

I sighed, feeling defeated once again, and thought, _He's going to be a handful, isn't he?_

"You'll let out all your happiness," Baba said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"It's an old Japanese saying. When you sigh, you let out all your happiness." Still holding both of my hands in his, he stood and then pulled me up as well. "Before we go downstairs we should stop by the lounge real quick." He let go of my hands and put one of his on my back, steering me toward the door.

When we entered the lounge Mr. Ichinomiya, Mr. Oh, and Mr. Kishi were already there, and they seemed to be deep in conversation. They stopped talking and looked up at us inquisitively. Mr. Oh in particular seemed to have an odd air about him, as if he were a little uncomfortable. Suddenly Baba took my hand again and spun me around. "Tah-dah!"

I was startled and nearly lost my balance, but he caught me without missing a beat. The heat rose in my cheeks. _Did he seriously bring me out here just to show me off?_

Mr. Ichinomiya's lips curled up into a smile as he looked me up and down. "Well?"

Bewildered, I answered, "Well what?"

He snickered. "What do you have on under that dress, hm?"

My eyes went wide and I could feel my entire body tense, my face growing hot. _Wha—? But how could he possibly know?!_

Mr. Ichinomiya burst out laughing. "Pfft, your face says it all. Pay up, boys." Mr. Oh and Mr. Kishi groaned and each pulled out a wad of bills and handed them to Mr. Ichinomiya.

My shoulders slumped in disbelief. _A bet? Seriously?!_

"Aww, come on, Boss. You're embarrassing her." Baba actually sounded a little guilty.

"It's not like I _wanted _to," I grumbled.

Mr. Kishi snorted in response. "Then why did you?"

I shook my head, unable to look at any of the guys. "Don't make me say it."

Mr. Ichinomiya smirked. "Let me guess. He threatened to dress you himself."

"Pervert," Mr. Oh scoffed.

Baba wrapped an arm around my waist and changed the subject without warning. "Anyway, see, Sor? She's fine."

Confused, I looked at Baba and then to Mr. Oh.

Mr. Oh crossed his arms and said, "What are you talking about? I never said I was worried."

"Oh reeeeally?" Baba teased. "Then why didn't you want to give her up last night?"

Mr. Oh uncrossed his arms and rubbed the back of his neck. "She looked comfortable where she was, that's all."

"That subordinate of yours, Inui? I think he had a thing for her," said Mr. Kishi, smiling slightly.

"Tch, as if I'd care," Mr. Oh retorted.

I stood there and rolled my eyes, thinking, _Gee, way to talk about me like I'm not here, guys._

"Oh, Jesia, it's almost lunch time. I bet you're hungry," Baba said.

"Already?" I asked, genuinely surprised.

He winked. "I let you sleep in since you had such a rough day yesterday. Come on, we'll get something to eat before we go to the casino." And with that Baba pulled me out of the lounge and to the penthouse elevator. I could swear I heard the other guys snickering as we left.

As the elevator made its descent, Baba linked his arm with mine. I looked up at him, puzzled. "Uhh, I'm not going to try to run, you know. You don't have to do that," I said.

"But we're on a date, remember?" Baba replied as if this were the most natural thing in the world. "People hold onto each other on dates. Or would you rather I do this?" He slipped his arm around my waist.

"I'd rather that you didn't touch me at all," I muttered. If Baba heard my retort, he didn't respond to it. Just then the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. We stepped out together, his arm still around me. _People are going to get the wrong idea,_ I thought miserably.

As we crossed the lobby floor a woman's voice called out, "Micchi!"

"Oh, it is!" another woman cried.

The two women surrounded us and immediately began teasing Baba. "Where have you been? We've missed you!"

"Looks like he's traded us in for a newer model. Isn't she a little young, even for you?"

Baba teased them right back. "Don't be silly. You know there will always be a special place in my heart for you."

I rolled my eyes and held my tongue. _He's so cocky! And it's not like I'm with him because I want to be._

"Where is she from? Can she speak Japanese?" one of the women asked curiously.

Before Baba could answer, I did it for him in perfectly polite Japanese. "My name is Jesia Wolf, and I'm from America. It's nice to meet you." I forced a smile and a little bow of my head.

The two women stared at me for a second, then Baba spoke up, "She's clever, isn't she? I was just about to show Jesia here a good time today."

The ladies turned their attention back to Baba. "Aww, I'm so jealous!"

"Yeah, we were about to get something to eat. You should join us!" Before Baba could give an answer, the woman tugged on his free arm as if trying to lead him away.

"Yes, you definitely should! And bring Jesia, too!" the other woman added.

"Whoa, you're so insistent," Baba said, looking a little surprised. Despite sounding hesitant, he allowed the women to lead us away to one of the hotel's restaurants.

_I swear, just when I think things can't get any stranger,_ I thought as we sat down at a table. _But maybe he won't try anything with me as long as his girlfriends are around?_ I decided to stay quiet while the two women happily chattered away with Baba. _This restaurant sure is nice,_ I thought as I looked around. _Way nicer than I could ever afford._

The waiter came around, and Baba ordered some exotic-sounding wine. After the waiter left, one of the women said happily, "Ooh, Micchi, you spoil us!"

The waiter returned almost right away and poured each of us a glass of wine, then asked what else we would like. _Crap, I haven't even started translating the menu._ After the other two women placed their orders, the waiter looked to me next. But before I could open my mouth, Baba spoke up and ordered for both of us. Now, normally this sort of thing would tick me off. I'm not usually one to just let a man take charge and do things for me without asking like that, but I decided to let it slide this time since I had no idea what I was doing. The waiter left again and the two women happily sipped their wine and continued talking. Meanwhile, Baba winked at me, and I raised an eyebrow back at him. He must have thought something about my reaction was humorous, because he chuckled. _Whatever._

"What's so funny?" one of the women asked.

Baba replied with a smile, "Oh, I was just thinking about a cute kitten I found the other day. I hope I can keep her for a while."

I stared at him. _Is he talking about me? I don't understand this guy._

"A kitten? You're so random, Micchi!" The women giggled at him together.

"Yeah, aren't you listening to us at all?"

The ladies continued their banter with Baba, while I was content to sit on the sidelines and sip at my wine. _Damn, I don't usually like wine, but this is delicious. It's so sweet. I need to be extra careful to pace myself._

Several minutes passed this way, then one of the women stood up. "Excuse me, but I need to go to the powder room," she declared.

"Oh, me too. Jesia, come with us!" Before I could tell them I didn't really need to go, they were practically pulling me out of my chair. "We won't be too long, Micchi."

Baba grinned. "Take your time. A beautiful woman is always worth waiting for."

In true stereotypical female fashion the three of us headed for the restroom together. As soon as we entered they began questioning me. "Are you and Micchi dating?"

Bewildered, I answered in earnest. "What? No!"

The woman eyed me suspiciously. "Really? Because he seems pretty fond of you."

I shook my head vigorously. "I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. We only just met the other day," I explained.

The other woman looked thoughtful. She asked, "How old are you, hon?"

"Twenty-two," I replied.

She considered this for a moment, then said, "Hmm, it's true that Micchi doesn't normally go for girls much younger than him. But the way he looks at you is different somehow."

Having no idea what to say to this, all I could do was shrug. "I really wouldn't know."

The two women leaned in close to me and began whispering. "I hear Micchi had a serious girlfriend a long time ago. She was a foreigner too."

"Maybe that's his real type? I wonder why it didn't work out."

"I don't know. He's pretty mysterious about it."

I stood there and listened to what the women were saying, but I had no idea what to make of it or what it had to do with me. _I'm here by mistake. That's all._

A few minutes later we returned to the table where Baba was waiting for us. "Oh good, you're back. I was getting a little lonely, you know," he said with his trademark wink. The other ladies giggled at him while I simply sat down without making so much as a peep.

The rest of lunch went by without incident. I continued to listen and take in my surroundings. Eventually the food arrived, and while I had no idea what my dish was called, it was probably the most delicious thing I'd ever eaten in my life. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until this ridiculously tasty food was set in front of me, but I did my best to prevent myself from wolfing it down like some kind of animal. Even so, I still finished my food before everyone else.

Baba paid for all of us, even though it was his two girlfriends who invited us out with them in the first place. I couldn't help but find it kind of odd that the two women never thanked him for his generosity. Instead they continued babbling gossip, with Baba throwing in a word here and there. When there was a break in the conversation, I said modestly, "Thanks for the food."

The two women giggled. "She even talks like a Japanese."

"How cute! Where in the world did you find her, anyway, Micchi?"

_Oh, this oughta be good,_ I thought, turning my gaze to Baba expectantly.

"It was fate, pure and simple," he replied with a gentle smile. "Serendipity at its finest."

_Yep, just as I thought. He's completely absurd. I mean, what kind of person romanticizes buying a human being at an auction?_

We finally parted ways with Baba's girlfriends and headed for the elevator. As we ascended to the thirtieth floor, Baba asked, "Are you always so quiet, sugar? I thought Americans were more lively."

"It depends," I responded in earnest. "Besides, I don't think Mr. Ichinomiya or Mr. Oh were too interested in hearing me talk the last couple of days."

He wrapped an arm around me. "You're so honest. I like that about you, Jesia. But just so you know, I'd love to hear more about you."

Unsure of what to say, I said nothing and stared at the elevator wall. _I'm sure he says stuff like that to every woman he meets. He seems like a real player. I mean, he's been all over me from the moment we first saw each other, and he was really flirty with those women. It's pretty ridiculous._

I was pulled from my thoughts as the elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal the casino. It was bustling again, although not as much as the other day. Baba led me onto the floor with a big smile on his face. "Do you gamble, m'lady?" he asked.

I shook my head a little. "No. I've never had money to just throw away." For some reason I felt strange saying this and looked away from him.

"Then I'll teach you," he said cheerfully.

"Oh, I know how to play a couple of things, like roulette and blackjack. I just don't really care to, I guess," I explained.

Baba led me over to a bar at the back wall of the casino. "I need to go get some chips if we're going to play, so just sit tight here for a minute, okay? Order a drink, if you like. It's on me." He winked.

"Oh, okay," I replied reluctantly. For some reason being left alone made me feel a little uncomfortable.

"What's wrong? Will you miss me?" Baba teased with that sly grin.

I rolled my eyes and waved him away. "Not at all. Take your time."

He ignored my attitude and said, "Don't worry. I'll hurry back, pretty lady." Baba disappeared into the sea of people, machines, and gaming tables.

I sat alone at the end of the bar. "Can I get you something?" the bartender asked.

I considered for a moment. "How about something sweet and fruity?"

He nodded and said, "I know just the thing." The bartender mixed up a colorful cocktail and topped it off with a cherry. "I hope you like it. Let me know if you need anything else."

I sipped at my drink and was pleasantly surprised at how yummy it was. _Hoo… Just the right mix of sweet and sour, and the alcohol flavor is subtle._ I couldn't help but smile a little as I enjoyed my drink.

Just then a shady-looking guy sat down next to me. "Hey there, sweetie. How about I buy you a drink?"

_Hm? Me?_ I looked up, surprised. "Thanks, but I already have one," I said, hoping to brush him off.

He laughed. "I meant after you finish that one." The man ordered a beer from the bartender and gulped it down. I could tell he was staring at me out of the corner of my eye and swallowed anxiously. "So where are you from, sweetheart?"

I took another sip of my cocktail and shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "The U.S."

"Really? Interesting." He leaned in closer to me and stroked my bare shoulder. His touch made me feel both sick and angry. "I've always wondered what American girls taste like…"

Before I knew it, I was pushing his hand away. "Don't touch me," I said firmly.

But the man was unfazed by my rejection. "Don't be like that. Talk to me, sweetie." He leaned in close and whispered, "There could be a lot of money in it for you."

My body tensed up in anger. _I am so sick of getting hit on like a bitch in heat!_ Before I could consider the possible consequences of my actions, I fished the cherry out of the top of my drink. "If you want to pop a cherry so badly…" I threw the cherry and it hit him right between the eyes before falling onto the bar. "Take that one and get out of my sight."

The man looked totally taken aback, his eyes wide with shock and anger. "You little—!" He started to grab for my wrist, but someone intervened, putting himself between me and the man. It was Baba.

With a smile Baba grabbed the man's wrist and forcefully twisted his arm. "It's not nice to hit on someone else's date, you know."

"Ow ow ow! Let go of me!" The man leaned away and Baba let go. "She should've just said she was with someone," he snorted angrily as he glared at me. Finally he stood up and stalked away.

To be honest, I was kind of stunned by what I just witnessed. _Did Baba just protect me?_

He turned to me and said, "I can't leave you alone for a second, can I? I know you're young and naïve, but you should really be more careful about who you flirt with."

Flustered, I stared at him incredulously. "I didn't do anything! He came on to me!"

Baba grinned and said, "Anyway, I forgive you. So let's go have some fun." He took my hand in his to help me stand, then wrapped an arm around my waist like before.

For the next couple of hours Baba took me all around the casino. It took a little while for me to calm my frustration from the incident at the bar, but once I did it wasn't too bad. At each game Baba stopped to play he explained the basic rules to me and even insisted that I participate a little. He had me blow on the dice "for luck" before rolling and pick numbers at roulette. Weirdly enough, I realized I was actually having a little fun with him. Every time he won a game he looked like a little kid having the time of his life, and I couldn't help but smile too. _His energy is kind of infectious. It's actually pretty cute,_ I thought. After a while, though, my feet started to hurt. _Ugh, this is why I hate wearing heels. I hope I don't get any blisters._

Almost as soon as I thought that, Baba led me over to a table near the bar where we sat down. He pulled his chair up closely beside mine. "You really are my lady luck," he said with a grin as he traced my tattoo with his fingertip again, causing me to shudder slightly. "I haven't had such a good day at the casino in ages."

I shook my head and looked away from him. "Surely it's nothing to do with me. It's just a coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidences, honey," Baba replied with a wink. "I'd say you're definitely a lucky charm."

_Yeah, lucky enough to get sold at a black market auction and get beat up by mobsters. _ That's when I realized that I hadn't even thought about my predicament for the past few hours. _What am I supposed to do?_

"Jesia," Baba interrupted my thoughts with a surprisingly serious air about him.

It took me off guard, and I looked over at him. "Hm?"

"Is what you said yesterday true? About how you don't blame Inui for what happened."

I looked Baba in the eyes, surprised by his question. "Of course."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "And what about Soryu? Do you blame him?"

"How could I? It's not like he could have known it was going to happen, and he did end up coming back for me." _Things could've turned out a lot worse._

Baba smiled and cupped my cheek with his hand. "You're a good woman, you know that?" I blinked at him, confused, and he removed his hand. "Actually, I have a little proposal for you."

Before the conversation could continue any further, we were interrupted by a woman's shrill voice. "Mitsunari, how could you?!" We both looked up at the same time, just as an angry woman splashed her drink right in Baba's face. She glared at me, and I stared back with wide eyes. "You can _have _him!" she yelled and stalked away.

Baba and I looked at each other, then I burst out laughing; after a slight hesitation, he started laughing too. "Pfft, how many girlfriends do you have anyway?" I asked. Without waiting for an answer, I left the table and went over to the bar to grab some napkins. "Here." I offered the napkins to Baba.

"How about you do it for me?" He winked, looking even more ridiculous than usual since he was all wet.

I shook my head, smiling. "You're a big boy. You can do it yourself."

Baba pouted as he took the napkins from me and began wiping off his face. "I guess we'd better head back to the penthouse so I can change. I'm kind of embarrassed," he said with a big grin on his face.

_He doesn't look embarrassed. Actually he's taking it pretty well. I wonder if he's used to getting dumped like this._

We returned to the Baba's suite together and he immediately went to take a shower. "Care to join me?" he asked with that sly smile.

"No thanks."

"Really, I wouldn't mind. I've bathed with women lots of times," he continued.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "That's not the issue, and the answer is still no," I replied firmly. Baba pouted a little. "By the way, saying stuff like that won't increase your chances with me, so just stop."

"A shame." Baba grinned and disappeared into the bathroom.

I removed my heels and sprawled out on the freshly made bed. That's when I remembered our strange morning, waking up in his arms. _Seriously, though. What the hell was he thinking?_ I found myself conflicted, trying to reconcile his actions with his words, but I just couldn't figure it out. _He's nice to me, but can I really trust that?_ I also didn't want to admit to myself that spending time with him did cheer me up, even if it was just for a little while. _I'm so confused._

I sat up and stared out the window, allowing my mind to go blank for a few moments. The view of the city at sunset was gorgeous, with all the buildings bathed in various shades of orange, pink, and purple light. Absorbed in the scenery, I didn't even notice when Baba emerged from the bathroom.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Baba's voice startled me, and I jumped a little.

I turned around to look at him, then turned back to gaze out the window. "Yeah."

He sat down next to me on the bed. Feeling uncomfortable, I couldn't bring myself to look at him. Then he spoke again, "Anyway, that proposal I was talking about." He paused as if he expected me to say something, but I stayed silent. Finally he said, "Choose me, and I promise I'll set you free."

I felt a tightening sensation in my chest and immediately looked at him. "What?" I couldn't believe my ears.

He wore that gentle smile. "If I buy you, I can let you go, right?"

"But, why would you do that?" I asked, both confused and suspicious.

"Nevermind that." He patted my head. "All I would ask is that you help me with a few 'jobs' I've got lined up first." He winked as he said the word "jobs."

I began to feel more anxious. "What would I have to do?" _He said he's a thief, right?_

Baba chuckled. "I can't go giving away the surprise, honey."

_Is he serious?_ "But, how am I supposed to trust you?" I asked. I wanted to add, 'You're a criminal,' but thought better of it.

Just then Ota came barging into the suite uninvited. "Jesia, I have a present for you!" He totally ignored the fact that Baba and I were sitting side by side on the bed and stood in front of me cheerfully; apparently there was something balled up in his fist. I looked up at Ota, baffled.

"Aww, but we're not done having fun. I don't want to let her go yet," complained Baba.

"Too bad! It's my turn now." Ota's normally angelic face was crossed with darkness as he said this and showed me the item in his hand.

I looked up at him, confused. "A necklace?"

"A collar," he said. "From now on, you're Koro."


End file.
